Business Class
by FlaminkoMage
Summary: When Natsu left Lucy for another girl in their senior year of high school, he had no idea that she was about to mother his child. Many years later, the two meet again unexpectedly at a job interview between them. NaLu. Business AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hey! Sooo I've been planning out this story for a while now, and I finally found time to give it a shot. It was written as a Christmas present for a friend of mine, (she really loves NaLu), and I thought I'd write this for her. I have a solid plotline in mind, but I really wouldn't blame myself if it ends up going in a completely different way than my original plan. My update schedule varies, but I will try to update this story often enough. Oh well, I hope you all enjoy it! Thanks for reading!**

…

Lucy wasn't sure how it happened. She and Natsu had been best friends for a long time, and when he asked her out, it was a dream come true. High school may have changed him, but Lucy was sure the old Natsu was still somewhere inside there. She refused to believe the rumors circulating around school.

Her Natsu was not a playboy. Her Natsu was not cheating on her. Her Natsu would never betray her. Her Natsu would never lie to her.

Her Natsu would never pin up another girl in a dark ally at the back of the school and kiss her mercilessly as she watched with wide eyes and jaw dropped.

Natsu and Lisanna were childhood friends. She always knew about the short-haired girl's love for Lucy's boyfriend; it wasn't like she hid it very well. Whenever Natsu held hands with Lucy, she seethed from behind one of the school's pillars. Whenever Natsu and Lucy kissed, she banged her head down on the floor and ran away. Whenever Natsu told Lucy he loved her, she plotted murder behind their backs.

Well, maybe not like _that_ , but you get the point.

Lisanna and Lucy had always been good friends. They had hung out after school together with the rest of their group, and she had even invited her to her family's Holiday party.

There had been rumors. Boy, had there been rumors. Apparently Yukino Aguria had seen Natsu with Lisanna one day and told a few of her friends. Cana Alberona, who happened to be nearby had heard, and told Erza Scarlet. Erza had told Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser in private about it, and sooner or later, the entire school was talking about it. Gray, wanting answers from his best friend, asked Natsu about it. Natsu, of course, declined.

Juvia, who had volunteered to be the one to tell Lucy, succeeded in her task, leaving the blonde girl confused and helpless. She refused to believe anything without confronting her boyfriend.

When she asked Natsu about it, he quickly denied it, claiming that the students of Fairy Tail High School were just 'out to get him', and that he would 'deal with them later'.

Lucy, being the naïve young girl she was, believed him.

That was six months ago, during their last semester of junior year. Now, as newly appointed seniors, Lucy could not believe her eyes as she saw her boyfriend and his childhood sweetheart in a heated lip-lock.

"Natsu…?" she whispered softly, attracting the attention of the couple. Natsu quickly backed away from Lisanna, who was wearing a very satisfied smirk on her face. Natsu's eyes widened as he looked upon the frail figure of his girlfriend.

"Oh! Luce… I…" he tried, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He bit is lip as her figure approached him. Lucy looked furious.

Her face red and her cheeks stained with tears, she lifted her right hand and slapped him. Hard.

"How… how could you…" she said, before yanking a bunch of his pink hair and throwing his face away from her. She cleared her throat, turning away from the two of them and sprinting out of the dark ally.

Lucy didn't look back- she just kept going. To where? She had no clue.

She couldn't believe him. Her boyfriend, the man whom she loved with all her heart, the man who claimed to love her back, was having an affair with another girl.

Four years. They had been in a relationship for four years, since their last year of middle school. She thought it was meant to be… she really did. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She had just slept with him a few weeks ago, after all. Lucy still remembered the night vividly, as if it was just yesterday.

Lucy stopped in the middle of the road, panting heavily with her schoolbag still swung on her shoulders. Tears streamed down her face steadily as she dropped to her knees and wailed.

A soft hand rested on her shoulder suddenly. Lucy gasped as she quickly turned around to face whoever had approached her.

"Oh Lucy…"

It was Levy McGarden; Lucy's best friend. From the corner of her eye, Lucy noticed two other figures standing a little away. She recognized them as Levy's boyfriend, Gajeel Redfox, and Lucy's other friend, Juvia Lockser.

"Levy-chan… he… he…" Lucy tried, but her words failed her. She clung to her best friend's dress and covered her face in it.

"There there, Lu-chan… he isn't worth crying over," her best friend consoled, patting the blonde's head with her hand. "It's okay. Let it all out."

"Juvia thinks Natsu is a horrible person," Juvia added, coming over and embracing the heartbroken girl. Lucy sniffed, letting Juvia wrap her arms around her.

"I… I think I'll be heading home now," Lucy said, picking herself up from the ground. She wiped her teary eyes, shooting her friends a grateful look. "Thanks, for everything."

And with that, she walked away.

…

Lucy could tell that there was something off about her. The way she acted, and the way she felt about everything had suddenly changed.

Lucy would have never expected to cry so much over some idiotic boy. She was stronger then that and she knew it.

 _'_ _It must be all these mixed up feelings inside of me'_ , she thought to herself, before grabbing her purse, quickly reapplying her makeup, and heading out. Her eyeliner was already smudged because of all the crying, and she didn't need to add to that mess. She had decided to invite a few of her friends out to dinner to try to forget about everything that had happened.

Lucy was not one for tears. She wasn't going to sit around and mope all night. She was going to go out to a nice dinner with her friends and enjoy herself.

Lucy walked into the restaurant with her head held high. She started looking around before almost immediately spotting the six people she was looking for. She waved, before heading over.

"Lucy! Glad you could come," Mirajane Strauss said. Mira was a beautiful young woman who had graduated Fairy Tail High two years ago, but everyone still treated her like any of their other friends.

"Yeah, after we heard what that dickhead did to you, I'm surprised you showed up," Cana said, already chugging down a glass of beer. Lucy raised her eyebrows.

"Shouldn't you leave the drinks to when the food arrives?" she asked. Cana shrugged, not taking her eyes off of her booze.

"Nahhh," she droned, "wanna sip?"

"I think you're on the edge of drunk and just plain crazy," Lucy said, taking her seat in between Juvia and Levy. She smiled at both of them, before turning to the menu.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Erza Scarlet asked, turning to the blonde. Lucy only nodded. Erza was the student council president, and even though they were in different social groups academics wise, Erza was still a great friend to the group.

Gray coughed. "So, Lucy… I heard about what happened, and I just wanted to say that I-"

"If you don't mind, Gray, I'd really like to not talk about it right now," Lucy cut in with a sharp tone. She immediately gasped, throwing her hands to her mouth and widening her eyes. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I don't know what just got into me! Please accept my apology!"

Gray gave her a curious look. "It's fine… are you sure you're feeling alright, Lucy?"

Juvia nodded. "Gray-sama is right. You don't seem like yourself today," she said. Lucy sighed, nodding.

"I don't feel like myself today, to be completely honest. It's like I'm in a whole different array of mood swings," she said. Levy lifted an eyebrow in her direction, before turning back to her boyfriend without saying anything.

"She's probably just feeling a little under the weather, isn't that right, Lucy?" Mira asked sweetly, pouring herself a drink. Lucy nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, that's it. Could you pass me the water, please?" she asked, before a waiter approached their table.

After placing their orders, Mira turned to Lucy once again.

"I know you didn't want to talk about this, but I wanted to say sorry on my sister's behalf," she explained.

"That's alright, Mira," Lucy said simply, playing with her straw.

"No, it isn't. What Lisanna did was wrong, and if she won't apologize, then I will," Mira said.

"Really, it's fine," Lucy said, giving her a small smile. "I admit, I definitely wasn't expecting to see what I saw, but if it makes Natsu and Lisanna happy, I guess I have no choice but to stand by it."

"Oh sweetie," Mira said, pulling the blonde in for a hug, "you're too good for your own good. I don't know what Natsu was thinking when he ditched you for Lisanna."

Mira had always been a Natsu and Lucy supporter. Of course, she knew about her younger sister's obvious crush on the pink-haired man, but no matter how many times Lisanna had told her about him, Mira's heart had always resided with Lucy. Call her a great sister.

"They deserve each other," Lucy said softly, tears now pooling at the edges of her eyes.

The others watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes. The way Mira comforted someone was unlike how anyone else could. Mira had a certain magic to her that made her approachable in a different sense. She offered the kind motherly touch, while keeping up her friendship-like attitude. She really was something amazing.

"Thank you, Mira," Lucy said, wiping her eyes and smiling at the older girl.

"Of course, Lucy."

"Now now," Erza suddenly cut in, "we didn't come here to mope around our childish ex-boyfriends. We came here to have fun. So let's have fun!"

Lucy smiled as the atmosphere in the circle lightened. She grinned, knowing she'd always have friends like these to have her back in tough situations.

"Bring on the strawberry cake!" Erza declared, getting up to search for their waiter. Everyone groaned at her obsession over strawberry cake. Although, they had to admit, it was very tasty.

By the end of the night, everyone was wasted and ready to crash at their respective houses. Lucy groaned as the thought about her father's reaction to her being home so late at night. It wasn't like he was overprotective, but he was very curious to know of her daily activities.

Lucy sighed, trudging away with Levy by her side. Levy had opted to walk home with her since she wanted to talk to her about something. Lucy didn't know what though.

"Lu-chan…" Levy started, shooting the blonde a worried glance. Lucy looked up, her eyes droopy with sleep.

"Yes, Levy-chan?" she asked, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to stay awake.

"When was the last time you slept with Natsu?"

That woke Lucy up. Her ears perked and she quickly turned her head to where her best friend was. Levy was looking at her with such a serious expression, it was hard for Lucy to miss. She gaped at the bluenette.

"W-what?" she stammered, fiddling with the sleeves on her shirt. Levy didn't budge.

"Lucy. This is important. When was it?" she asked, forgetting about nicknames for a second. Lucy bit her lip before replying.

"About two and a half weeks ago. Why?" she asked. Levy nodded.

"Have you felt sick at all?" she asked. Lucy did a double take.

"Uh… no?" she said, unsure. Levy muttered something under her breath.

"Lucy… you're hormonal," she stated bluntly. "You're not acting like you normally do, and even you can admit that you'd never cry that much over a breakup."

"I…"

"Take a test," Levy said suddenly, stopping in the middle of the pathway. Lucy gasped.

"No. No! I refuse to believe it! I'm not pregnant!"

"Lucy, I'm never wrong about these things… and you know that. Trust me, this is for your own good!" Levy persisted.

"I'm going home," Lucy said quietly, speeding up and leaving her friend in the road. Levy sighed, hoping the blonde would come to her senses and do what's best for her.

…

Lucy stormed into her room, not bothering to answer any of the questions her father asked her. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Lucy had sworn to herself that she wouldn't let herself fall into this. She refused to believe any of this nonsense. It was just too much.

Lucy couldn't do it. She was a coward. She knew she needed to know the truth. She needed to know if she was in fact…

No.

But Lucy couldn't stop herself from quietly tiptoeing down the stairs later that night. She knew her father hadn't thrown out any of her mother's old 'lady' things in one of the bathrooms, and if she was lucky, she might find a test in there.

She sneaked past her father's room, trying her hardest not to wake him up. She quickly shut herself in the bathroom, sighing to herself and sinking down to her knees.

 _'_ _Take a deep breath, Lucy. You don't even know if Levy is right about any of this,'_ she thought to herself, gulping and opening the cabinet door. Lucky for her, there was a small unused box of the very thing she was looking for.

 _'_ _It's just five minutes… in just five minutes my entire future will be decided,'_ she thought, taking a deep breath and looking at herself in the mirror after completing the instructions.

Her eyes were blotchy and her lips thrown into a pout. She groaned, cautiously looking at the timer on her phone. Two more minutes.

Lucy couldn't believe she was doing this. What if she really was…? What would she do? What _could_ she do? She knew for a fact her father would probably throw a fit and kick her out… she couldn't bare that thought. And what about her friends? Would they accept this? Would she have to get rid of it?

Absolutely not. Even for Lucy, that would be taking it much too far.

Lucy closed her eyes as the timer went off. She knew that in a few seconds, she would either be extremely relieved, or extremely scared. She was already scared, mind you.

She threw a quick glance towards the sink where the test was sitting. Her eyes widened as she saw the result.

Positive.

In that moment, Lucy knew she was screwed.

…

"You took the test, didn't you?" Levy asked a few days later. The two were sitting on Levy's bed, painting each other's toenails. Lucy gulped, tears already pooling in her eyes.

"Levy… what am I going to do?" she moaned, rubbing her eyes and laying back on the cushions. Levy frowned.

"What do you mean? Aren't you going to tell Natsu?" she asked. Lucy quickly shook her head.

"What?! Absolutely not! Levy-chan, he's too much of an idiot for his own good! I'm not going to make him stay with me because of our foolish mistake!" Lucy cried. Levy bit her lip, looking at her best friend straight in the eye.

"What other choice do you have? You can't just pack up your bags and leave!" she exclaimed, watching the blonde carefully. She sighed. "You're thinking about going away, aren't you?"

Lucy nodded, pushing her lips together. "I think it's my best option at the moment. I'm nineteen years old, Levy… I can't stay here with this burden on my shoulders."

"You're running away from your problems, Lu-chan," Levy lectured.

"Then so be it. I can't live like this any longer," Lucy insisted. "Please… let me do this…"

Levy sighed, rolling her palms into fists. "I swear I'm going to kill that Dragneel boy… you're not even finished with high school yet!"

"That's okay. I'll take online courses. I can finish high school just fine like that and you know it," Lucy pointed out, rubbing her abdomen.

"Lu-chan…"

Levy suddenly pulled the blonde in for a tight embrace. Lucy sighed, tears falling freely out her eyes. She hugged her best friend back with just as much force and love. The two held onto each other for minutes after minutes.

"I'm going to miss you, Levy-chan… so, so much," Lucy mumbled, pulling away. Levy sniffed.

"I am too, Lu," she said softly. "I take it you don't want me to tell anyone about… the baby?"

Lucy shook her head, still cringing at the thought of being a mother at such a young age. "Yes, please… just tell them I decided to get a bit of fresh air, or something… you'll figure it out, right, Levy-chan?" she said, clinging to the girl's bright orange sleeve.

"Of course I will, Lu-chan. And don't worry about us… I'll keep you informed about everything, alright?"

Lucy nodded, wiping her eyes and getting up from the bed. "Thank you, Levy. Thank you so much."

Levy nodded, closing her eyes and taking in the situation. She knew Lucy had to do this, no matter how much it hurt her. She knew that what Lucy was doing wasn't fitting to her best judgment. Levy knew that Lucy did not want to do this… but what other choice did she have?

Lucy Heartfilia was a strong girl. Ever since her mother died, her life had taken a whole new turn. She had gone into a depressive spiral, and she refused to talk to anyone for three months after the incident. Levy hadn't really known Lucy very well back then, but after she found out what happened, she knew that Lucy was hurting, and she had to be there for her.

Her father was close to giving up too, but the light Lucy brought forth into his chambers that night was enough to convince him otherwise. Jude Heartfilia promised to be there for Lucy after that day, to make up for all the heartache he had caused her those past few months.

What would he say once he figured out that his daughter had left him, and that she was probably not going to come back for a long time? What kind of position would that put him in?

And what about her friends? What would they think once they figured out Lucy had disappeared? What would they say? Would they support her?

Levy had no idea. She was clueless as to how any of this would play out.

And Natsu? What about the idiot of a boyfriend who had promised to always have her back? Would he be happy about her going away? Would he ever find out about his child? Would he let go of his past for good to be with Lisanna?

What was going to happen to everyone?

Lucy was gone the next day, and none of her other friends had any clue why.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Alrighty, so I was just a tiny bit surprised at the statistics for the story. I'm really glad y'all are liking it so far! ^_^ Anyway, I had this chapter written out yesterday, but I added a few things this morning. I'll be going on a three day vacation starting today, but I'll try to write as much as I can throughout this time. Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!**

 _Ten Years Later_

Lucy Heartfilia was a mature, twenty nine year old woman, but she was still not used to waking up to her nine-year-old daughter wailing in the room next to hers.

Lucy's head shot up in surprise when she heard the familiar cries. She gasped, clambering out of bed and running into the short hallway and into the little girl's room. Her eyes lay on a messy head of salmon hair that was tossing and turning in the bed. Lucy ran over to her daughter, shaking her awake.

"Nash! Nash! Wake up!" she said, biting her lip once she saw the girl's tear stained eyes. "Come on, Nash."

Nashi Heartfilia stirred, rubbing the eye boogers out of her eyes and choking back a sob. "Mom…my?" she asked softly.

Lucy sighed in relief. "Oh good. You're not dead," she teased, picking her up and twirling her around in her arms. "At least, I hope you're not. Hey, Nash? Are ya' dead?" Lucy winked to let Nashi know she was just messing with her.

The little girl shook her head, crossing her arms and pouting. "No, Mommy. I don't think I'm dead," she told Lucy pointedly. Lucy laughed, nodding happily before setting her down onto the ground. "What's for breakfast?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Always thinking on your stomach, eh?" she muttered under her breath, before saying in a much louder voice, "How do pancakes with chili sauce sound?"

Nashi gasped, squealing in place as she latched onto her mother's leg. "Yay! That's my favorite food! You're the best, Mommy!" she shouted in excitement. Lucy could only laugh, leading the two of them out of the room and into the next one.

"Wanna help me make them, Nash?" she asked, opening a cupboard and taking out the batter. "As long as you don't burn yourself, you should be fine."

Nashi nodded happily. "Yeah! That sounds super great!" she said, picking up the giant bottle of hot sauce from the counter. She eagerly opened the cap and began dripping it straight into her mouth, licking her lips as it rolled down her throat and into her stomach. "Yum!"

"Hm?" Lucy looked over from the stove, gasping once she saw Nashi rubbing her belly and clutching a bottle of extra-spicy chili sauce in her right hand. Her eyes widened, running over to her and snatching it from her grip.

"Nashi! What have I told you about eating the sauce from the bottle! It's not only very bad manners, young lady, but it also makes sure I can't eat any!" she screeched, waving a finger in the young girl's face. Nashi frowned, looking at her feet and playing with her fingers.

"Sorry, Mommy… but I thought you didn't like hot sauce…" she murmured. "I thought that since you didn't like it, I could have it instead."

Lucy's facial expressions softened. She sighed in defeat, slumping her shoulders underneath her and looking at Nashi straight in the eye.

"Oh Nashi… what am I going to do with you?"

Nashi instantly brightened.

"Oh oh! I know, Mommy! We can play games, ride bikes together, and go around the town together! There are so many things you can do with me!" she exclaimed, jumping around in place. Lucy laughed.

"Looks like we found out what we're going to be doing today, then!" she said with a smile. Nashi grinned.

"Really, Mommy? Yay! Thank you!" she said, hugging her mother tightly before rushing out the room. "We can start right after school! Today's my last day of fifth-grade, so after this, we have the whole summer together!"

Lucy nodded. "Mhm! We can spend every single day of summer together. Just you and me, Nash."

Nashi smiled so brightly, even Lucy had to squint her eyes from the light.

"Okay! I'm going to go get changed for school! Bye, Mommy!" Nashi said happily, sprinting back into her room and closing the door tightly behind her.

Lucy sighed, looking at the calendar on the wall and frowning at the date. In two days, it would be the birthday of the one man she so desperately wanted to forget about. The one man who forgot about her all those years ago. The one man she still couldn't stop herself from thinking about every night.

It would be Natsu Dragneel's birthday in two short days, and she still had yet to mentally prepare herself for the day. Every year, she had grown into a habit of avoiding Nashi on the fateful day. She feared that if she saw his child, memories would rush back to her all at once, making it too much to bare for her.

Nashi knew the time was coming soon too, that's why she was acting so clingy today. She knew that in forty-eight hours, her mother would refuse to even cast her a single glance. It wasn't like she liked it… she was just used to it. It had been this way for all her life, after all.

Nashi knew her mother was hurting. Lucy tried hiding it, but every so often Nashi would catch her silently crying after bedtime, and the next morning she would be happy and cheerful like always.

Oh how much she wanted to hurt the person who made her mother act like this.

Nashi sighed, pulling her shirt over her head and combing her hair thoroughly. All she had to do was go through one more day of school. One more day of the bullying and the teasing, and she would be free. She would be free from all of it. It would just be her, and her mother.

Just like it should be.

"Bye, Mommy! I'm going to school!" she called, noticing the door to her mother's room closed. She didn't want to intrude, after all.

"A-alright… be back in time for our special day today, okay?" Lucy said back to her, stuttering just enough for Nashi to notice.

"Yeah, Mommy! See you!" she said, stepping outside their apartment door and closing her eyes, already knowing what was about to happen.

"Looks like the crybaby finally emerged from her mother's womb," someone taunted from in front of the staircase.

Nashi ignored the person, walking right past them and swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"No one asked you, Tagg. Leave me alone," Nashi said in a low voice. The green-haired boy sauntered after her, smirking in her direction.

"Having a bad day, Pinky?" he said, laughing like a maniac. Nashi scoffed, getting to the ground floor and stepping outside the apartment complex.

"You could say that. Now go away," she said, walking on the sidewalk on the pathway to the school.

Tagg glared at her.

"Oi, Pinky. I'll tell my father you're being mean to me, and he'll have you suspended," he said in a menacing tone.

Tagg's father was the principle of their school. He may look intimidating, but he really was a very sweet man at heart. He was actually good friends with Nashi's mother, Lucy, too.

"The last time you tried that, it didn't work. Besides, it's the last day of school. I doubt he'd do anything," Nashi said. "In fact, he _can't_ suspend me. This is the last day in this school, we'll be going to a different school next year. There goes all the power you ever had in being the principle's son."

Tagg looked aghast. Nashi _never_ fought back. She always sat back and took all the insults everyone threw at her at school.

He sighed, before holding out a hand.

"Truce, then?" he asked with an innocent smile.

Nashi raised her eyebrows at the boy.

"If you think I'm stupid enough to fall for a lame trick like that, think again, or I'll kick your sorry little butt," she threatened. Tagg threw his head back and laughed wickedly.

"It was worth a try," he said, shrugging before pinching her shoulder.

Nashi flinched. "Hey! That hurt you idiot!"

Tagg stuck his tongue out at her, before running into the school. "Try and catch me, then! Stupid!"

Nashi huffed, before chasing after him, glaring at her arch nemesis all throughout the time. She easily caught up to him, grinning as she tapped his shoulder.

"I win," she said victoriously.

Tagg frowned, before remembering something.

"Oh right! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, turning to Nashi. "So my dad's cousin's family are coming over from Magnolia for the summer. My dad forced me to invite you and your mother. Apparently you all are old friends or something."

Nashi frowned.

"I don't think so. I would have heard something about my mother being friends with your family before this," she said. Tagg rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. You already know how my dad's a friend of your mom's?" he asked. Nashi nodded.

"Yeah. It's a little awkward honestly when Principle Vastia walked around the school and he recognizes me," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Oh yeah? Well take that awkwardness and multiply it by five million to get what I'm feeling. I mean, he's not even my real dad…" Tagg said. Nashi shrugged.

"Well, he considers you his son, and that's all that matters," she said. Her brain was screeching at her to stop. What was she doing?! Why was she talking to Tagg like they were good friends?! She hated the guy!

Tagg scoffed. "Whatever. So just have your mom contact my dad after school today or something. Or, better yet, come over tonight for dinner. My cousin's are coming over first thing tomorrow morning, so…"

Nashi nodded. "Yeah. I get it. Whatever. Right. We'll sleep over or something."

"Right. Cool." Tagg nodded. "I mean… we are neighbors, after all, right. Yeah. That works."

Nashi gulped, trying to look for an excuse to exit the conversation. She glanced to the books in her hands.

"Well, I better get to class. Uh… we're having an end of year party in English, so… wouldn't want to be late for that!"

Tagg raised an eyebrow. "I know that. You do know we're in the same English class, right?" he asked. "Plus, we don't have English till after lunch."

Nashi gulped. "Whoops! Got English and Math mixed up, heh heh… okay see you in English," she said quickly before exiting.

…

"So… what are your cousins like?" Nashi asked Tagg as they walked home from school together. Tagg looked thoughtful for a second.

"Well, Sylvia's the younger one. She's five years old, and she loves everything to do with ice. One time, she ate a giant ice cube for dinner!" he exclaimed. Nashi laughed, forgetting about the tension between the two.

"Woah! That's so cool! And also a bit crazy!" she said. Tagg nodded.

"Yep! And Storm's the older one. He's seven years old. Two years younger than me," he continued. "He's super cool, too! And like Sylvia, he has a crazy obsession with water art. He likes making cool designs and things out of water. Just like Sylvia likes making ice sculptures."

Nashi nodded. "They sound really nice."

"They really are. They're the closest things to siblings I have. I think you'll like them, especially Storm."

"Why's that?" Nashi inquired.

"I don't know. You just seem like the type to immediately hit it off with a boy like him," Tagg explained, before the two fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Nashi hummed after a few minutes. "Hey, Tagg?" she asked quietly, just as they were about to enter their building. Tagg turned to her, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you think that we could maybe be friends from now on? You know, instead of fighting all the time?" Nashi asked as the two of them stepped into the elevator. Once they were inside, Nashi pushed their floor button and they began their journey upwards.

Tagg pushed his head back, before nodding.

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said as they exited the elevator. He stopped as he stepped in front of his door. "Wanna come in? Just for a while?"

Nashi shrugged, checking the clock in the corridor. "Sure, I have about a half hour before my mom's expecting me home, anyway."

"Well then come on, Idiot," Tagg said, leading her inside.

"Tagg! You've gotten way bigger, little dude!" a new voice said. Tagg gasped, turning in place and looking into the eyes of a middle-aged man a little younger than his father.

"Uncle!" Tagg exclaimed.

Nashi's eyes widened as she looked at the couple in front of her. A tall handsome man with slick black hair, and a beautiful woman with long blue hair and sparkling eyes.

Something clicked in her mind.

…

 _It was dark. Very, very dark. It was too dark to see anything, or anyone. Where was she? Lucy looked around, trying desperately to find a familiar face._

 _"_ _Nashi! Nashi!" she kept screaming, hoping to locate her young daughter. It was no use; Lucy had no idea what was going on._

 _"_ _I've been waiting for you for a while, Luce," someone said from the shadows. Lucy sputtered, instantly recognizing the voice._

 _"_ _N...Natsu?" she guessed, coughing from the smoke that was beginning to emerge around the two of them._

 _The man looked down at her with big eyes._

 _"_ _It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked softly. Lucy looked away, her heart almost breaking into two shreds. She nodded._

 _"_ _Yeah, I guess it had been…" she said. "Why are you here?"_

 _"_ _I wanted to invite you to my wedding, of course," Natsu said with a giant smile. "Luce! I'm gettin' married!"_

 _Lucy gasped, her eyes widening and her hands flying to her mouth._

 _"_ _You're… you're getting married…" she mumbled, not wanting to ask who the girl was._

 _"_ _Yep! It could have been you, but you ran away all those years ago," Natsu said, his voice suddenly becoming a lot darker._

 _Lucy looked shocked. "It… it could have been me? What are you talking about! You left me for Lisanna! You cheated on me!" she yelled, her voice getting louder and louder. Natsu shrugged._

 _"_ _Yeah, and then_ she _cheated on me. It's the circle of life, amiright?" he said in a cheeky voice. Lucy narrowed her eyes._

 _"_ _How can you be so nonchalant about all of this? Don't you care? Didn't you ever care?" she asked roughly, getting up from her seat and pushing him by the shoulders._

 _"_ _Of course I did, but what's the point?" Natsu said casually, putting his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to talk to you about something, too."_

 _"_ _What is it?" Lucy asked suspiciously. She already knew though, what he was about to say._

 _"_ _Why didn't you tell me."_

 _Lucy blinked, her suspicions confirmed. "What are you talking about?"_

 _"_ _Nashi. Why didn't you tell me? That's just too much, Lucy. Even for you," Natsu said, beginning to step towards her._

 _For the first time in a very long time, Lucy truly felt afraid._

 _"_ _I… I just…"_

 _"_ _How could you separate me from my own flesh and blood? My own daughter! Didn't you trust me enough!" Natsu yelled. "You're pathetic."_

 _Lucy flinched, not answering._

 _You're pathetic._

 _You're pathetic._

 _You're pathetic._

 _You're pathetic._

"I'M PATHETIC!" Lucy screamed, jumping out from under her sheets. Sweat poured down her forehead, clouding her vision. She gasped, panting heavily as she tried recalling what had just happened.

It was just a dream, thank Mavis. It was just a really bad dream.

Lucy let out a throaty laugh. She should have known the moment Natsu started acting serious. The Natsu she knew _never_ acted serious.

This was too much.

The memories Lucy held to her heart about her ex-boyfriend still hadn't gone away yet, no matter how much she tried forgetting.

She thought back to him. What if she wasn't imaging some parts of her dream? What if Natsu really was married by now?

It wouldn't be much of a surprise, after all, he was going to turn twenty-nine in two days. He probably already had a steady wife or girlfriend. Lucy also wouldn't doubt the girl being Lisanna, if they hadn't already broken up.

It had been a while since Lucy thought about her high school life. Magnolia High was a wonderful school, and she had made a lot of wonderful friends there. Where were those friends now?

Lucy laughed genuinely. Gray and Juvia probably got together at some point by now, it was no secret that Gray used to hold the girl to heart even back then. If things went well between the two of them, they might even be married by now. Juvia Fullbuster. It had a nice ring to it.

Gajeel and Levy might still be together. Knowing Gajeel, he probably never got the guts to propose, and the two were most likely still boyfriend and girlfriend. They were a great match, after all. Lucy doubted they would ever break up.

Lucy wondered about Erza. Did she fess up after her whole almost-kiss ordeal with Jellal? The two were childhood lovers; the only ones who didn't know it were her and Jellal.

Lucy knew moving back to her hometown was not the best idea. After all, her father could easily find her, but would that be such a bad idea? She was proved wrong when Jude had knocked on her door almost nine years ago, just when Nashi was born. Lucy and her father had talked things through, and although he was disappointed in her, he supported her through and through. Lucy definitely felt better after talking to him, and after he promised not to tell anyone else about her whereabouts, she felt safer in her small apartment in Acalypha.

Lucy sighed, looking out the window of her room. If it were up to her, she'd stay alone in solitude with her daughter for the rest of her life here in Acalypha. Nashi would grow up here, find love here, get married here, move into the apartment next door so Lucy could keep an eye on her… she'd do everything here, if it were up to Lucy.

But even Lucy knew that dream was far fetched. She knew that one day, she'd have to go back to Magnolia and apologize to all her friends for leaving them so suddenly. She knew she needed proper closure from the whole mess.

But for now, this was her life. And it wasn't going to be changing any time soon.

At least, in Lucy's point of view.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: I wrote _so much_ during my vacation... ahh you have no idea. XD Enjoy this super long chapter! (18 pages in Word gahh).**

* * *

The woman standing in front of Nashi smiled, instantly noticing her. She walked up to the young girl, gesturing between her and Tagg.

"Are you a friend of Tagg's?" she asked, looking between the two of them. Nashi gulped, shooting Tagg a look.

"Uh… you could say that," she said quietly, looking up at the beautiful lady. Who was she? Was she Tagg's infamous aunt he always talked about? He used to boast about how gorgeous his family was, but this was a little too much.

"Oh! Well Juvia is very pleased to meet you, Nashi-nee," the woman said, holding out a hand. The tall man from before came up from behind her, putting his own hand on her shoulder. He looked at Nashi.

"Don't worry, she usually speaks in third person," he explained, before looking at Tagg. "Lyon- I mean, your dad went to run a few errands with Storm and Sylvia, so why don't you introduce us all to each other?"

Tagg nodded, looking at Nashi. "Nashi, this is my aunt Juvia, and my uncle Gray. Aunty, Uncle, this is Nashi. We're not really friends."

Nashi looked taken aback. "Uh, excuse me, Tagg? Didn't we just have a conversation about this in the elevator?" she asked in a bored tone. "Honestly, you really are an idiot."

"Says the stupid girl!" Tagg retorted. Juvia raised an eyebrow.

"Tagg, it isn't very nice to call your friend a 'stupid girl'," she said, shaking a finger at her nephew.

"We aren't friends!" Tagg exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. Nashi rolled her eyes.

"At this point, I'm inclined to agree too," she said, crossing her arms. Gray smiled upon seeing the two of them interact, before gesturing to his wife.

"Well, I have to speak with Juvia for a second, okay? Why don't you two go upstairs and… I dunno, hang out or something. What do nine-year-old kids do, anyway?" he asked, scratching his temple.

"Gray-sama, we'll know in two years. Now didn't you have to talk to Juvia about something?" she asked pointedly, her eyes lingering on Nashi for just a second too long.

Nashi rubbed her lips together, unsure whether or not to say anything.

"Right, lead the way," Gray said, the two of them running into the kitchen.

Once the door was closed, Juvia instantly turned to Gray.

"Gray-sama! The girl!" she exclaimed, walking up to her husband. Gray sighed, nodding.

"Reminded you too much of her, I know. I mean how many nine-year-olds know the word 'inclined'?" he asked. Juvia gave him a look.

"A lot of nine-year-olds know big words, but that isn't the point. Juvia thinks that Nashi-nee might be…" she said, trailing off.

Gray pursed his lips. "Lyon would have said something. I know he's a dick, but he wouldn't hide something like that from me unless he had a _super_ good reason, which I doubt is possible."

Juvia sighed. "I know Lyon-sama would tell you, but what if Nashi-nee really is…"

Gray grunted. "Look at her hair!" he bellowed. "Her hair is _pink_ , Juvia! Pink! Only Natsu has pink hair! And there's no way she's _his_ child."

Juvia bit her lip. "Gray-sama… they were past lovers."

"Yes, Juvia. I know that, but Lucy ran away all those years ago after he _cheated_ on her. I don't think she'd go back to Magnolia to sleep with him one last time."

"But what if Nashi-nee was conceived when Natsu and Lucy were together? It would make perfect sense, Gray-sama! Think about it! That's why Lucy left all those years ago!"

Gray stopped. He knew his wife was right, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Something told him that Nashi was indeed Lucy's daughter.

He sighed, taking Juvia by surprise when he wrapped his arms around her. She melted into the hug, still not fully understanding why he was embracing her.

"Gray-sama? Is something wrong?" she asked him. Gray hummed into her hair.

"I feel like we're going to see Lucy very soon…"

The door to the kitchen suddenly banged open, making the couple flinch.

"My my, Gray. Be a little less lovey-dovey in _my own house_ for once, will you?" an annoyed voice said. Juvia jumped, separating herself from her husband and gulping. Gray clenched his teeth together.

"Excuse me, Lyon. But the last time I checked, I was _married_ to Juvia," he said in a menacing tone.

Lyon scoffed. "There's a reason I still hang on. We both know who Juvia will choose in the end."

Juvia coughed. "Um… Lyon-sama, I think I've already chosen," she said quietly, latching onto Gray's arm. Gray smirked.

"Yeah, Lyon. She's _already chosen me._ "

Lyon tsked. "Whatever. We'll fight till the death for Juvia, Gray!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Juvia.

"You know what I think, Lyon?" Gray cut in. "I think that you need to find yourself a nice girl and settle down with her. You know, a girl that _isn't my wife_."

"My son approves of her! It's just meant to be!" Lyon said. Gray rolled his eyes.

"You know how much I respect your decision for taking Tagg in, but seriously, get a room," he said.

Lyon sighed, gesturing for the two of them to follow him into the living room. "We'll continue this later, Gray. For now, I'd like to introduce Nashi to Storm and Sylvia."

Gray took a deep breath. "Listen, speaking of Nashi. There's something I'd like to ask you about," he said slowly.

Lyon's eyes twinkled. "You'll know soon enough," he said swiftly, opening the door in front of him and smiling at the sight of the children.

Juvia, on the other hand, looked aghast at what was happening between Nashi and Storm. The two were in a headlock, throwing menacing glares at each other and in the middle of a fistfight.

"SHUT UP YOU WATER PRICK!" Nashi yelled, throwing a punch.

"NEVER YOU PINK HEADED FREAK!" Storm screamed, blocking effectively.

Gray groaned.

"This is nostalgic."

"Break it up you two!" Juvia yelled, getting between them and looking harshly at her son. "Storm! I raised you better than to pick fights with girls!"

"Don't worry, Miss Juvia. I'm more than capable of taking him out," Nashi said, clenching her teeth. "Besides, the idiot called me a baby first!"

"That's because you are a baby! You have pink hair!" Storm yelled. Nashi scoffed.

"I'm two years older than you, bone-head!" she said.

"But only weird and annoying people have pink hair!" Storm screeched.

"That's my boy!" Gray chuckled, instantly quieting down once he saw his wife's expression. "I-I mean… you are very wrong, Storm. Very, very wrong."

"Oh give me a break!" Nashi said, grabbing Tagg's arm and twirling him to face her. "You know I'm right, don't you, Tagg?"

Tagg shrugged. "I'm kind of conflicted who I should cheer for here."

"MEANIE!" Nashi shrieked.

"Uh… I think we all just need to calm down," Lyon said, stepping between everyone. "Tagg, take Nashi and your cousins to your room," he added calmly.

Tagg, not wanting to argue with his father, only nodded and did as he was told.

"Come on, Sylvia, lets show Nashi and Storm how it's done," Tagg said, glaring at Nashi as he took the young girl's hand and led her upstairs. Nashi and Storm looked at each other, before cautiously following him.

Juvia sighed, silently thanking her nephew for once being responsible. Gray didn't take notice, he only turned to Lyon.

"Did you see that?" he asked grimly. "The way Nashi and Storm were acting just now! The way they were fighting just like Natsu and I used to!"

Lyon rolled his eyes. "Must be a coincidence," he said simply, taking a seat on the couch. Juvia shot him an uneasy expression.

"Juvia doesn't know, Lyon-sama. This all seems like an awfully big coincidence. Juvia thinks her Gray-sama is right."

Lyon gasped. "I'm wounded, Juvia. You take the side of this ice freak instead of your future beloved?"

Juvia snorted, something she rarely did. "Juvia will have you know that she will not tolerate any insults towards her Gray-sama. Besides, you two are cousins. Try to be a little bit more supporting of each other."

Gray pretended like he was ignoring them. "Lyon, I'm serious. I need answers. Do you or do you not know about where Lucy is?" he asked gruffly. Lyon shrugged.

"All I know is that she left Magnolia in senior year and moved to an unknown place. I don't know where, and I don't know anything about why she left."

Gray narrowed his eyes. "You do realize we are sitting in an apartment in Lucy's _hometown,_ with a little girl who looks exactly like Lucy but with pink hair?"

"Like I said. This is all just one big coincidence."

It wasn't like Lyon wanted to lie to them; he really didn't, but he had promised Lucy he would not tell anyone about where she was if they asked. She had put a lot of trust in Lyon, and he wasn't just about to break it, even if they were Lucy's best friends from way back when.

"You have to tell us. At least, tell Juvia. If not me. Juvia and Lucy were best friends back then. She deserves to know."

Lyon solemnly shook his head. "I'm very sorry, Gray, but even if I did know something, I don't think Lucy would want her private life to be revealed just like that."

Juvia looked hard into Lyon's eyes.

"You know something, Lyon-sama."

Lyon quickly shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about, Juvia Love."

Juvia ignored the nickname, but pressed further. "There isn't any point in hiding it. Juvia knows Lyon-sama well. How long has Lyon-sama been principal of Tagg's school?"

Lyon swelled up with pride. He loved talking about his job. "Almost four years now," he stated proudly. Juvia nodded.

"Then Lyon-sama obviously knows who Nashi-nee's parents are filed as. Tell us, Lyon-sama. Who are Nashi-nee's parents then?"

Gray's jaw dropped in surprise. He had forgotten about his wife's mind blowing smarts. With one glance towards Lyon, he knew she had him wrapped around her little pinky.

Lyon's face turned white. "I… I have no clue! I don't usually look through my student's files, and… uh… yeah."

Juvia smirked. "Oh really? Seeing how close Tagg and Nashi-nee are, it's safe to assume that Tagg has spoken about Nashi-nee to you. Juvia has always thought Lyon-sama was the type of father that was overprotective of his son, even if Tagg was adopted. Juvia thinks you have at least done a little research on your son's friends."

Holy hell, she was good.

Lyon coughed, unsure what to say.

"I just-"

The front door banged open.

"LYON!" a new feminine voice yelled, entering the apartment. "NASHI STILL HASN'T COME BACK FROM SCHOOL! I thought something happened! I didn't know if Tagg was already home, and…" she trailed off.

Gray and Juvia's eyes widened as they looked at the newcomer.

It was a beautiful blonde woman. One they both recognized with ease. Her hair had grown a lot longer, and her body was still as curvaceous as ever. She was wearing a plain pink t-shirt and jeans, showing that her style had drastically changed over the course of ten years. She was wearing no makeup, but her cheeks were coated red from embarrassment, and from the two people she was standing in front of.

Lyon groaned. "Damn it, Lucy! I was just about to get them off your trail for Nashi!"

Everyone just ignored him.

Lucy stared with wide eyes at her old friends. They stared back at her with equal intensity.

Gray was shocked out of his mind, and Juvia was opening and closing her mouth like a fish. The girl looked so _different_ after all these years, and the two couldn't believe their eyes.

"Wha…" Lucy muttered under her breath, looking at them with her jaw dropped. "Gray…? J-Juvia?"

Gray didn't say anything, but his wife certainly did. Juvia jumped up with joy, squealing and hollering cries of happiness. She instantly ran up to her old best friend, taking her hands and squeezing them.

"Lucy! Lucy-san!" she screamed, tugging her in for a ferocious hug. "Juvia is so happy pto see you, Lucy! Sweet Mavis! Juvia is so surprised!"

Lucy coughed, forcing a smile with tears in her eyes. "Juvia? I…"

Gray pursed his lips. "Let her breath, Juvia," he said in a low voice. Juvia nodded upon hearing her beloved's tone, backing away from the blonde reluctantly.

Lucy turned to Gray.

"Gray, I… I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Nothing at all," Gray said quietly, taking Lucy's hand and pulling her in for a gentle hug. It was nothing like the hugs they had shared back in high school. The two were close friends, after all. Lucy was expecting a bone-crushing hug like he usually gave her. L

She was not, however, expecting this.

Gray was conflicted. In his arms was one of his very best friends from middle school and high school. Tears pooled in his eyes as he recalled the memories they had shared together, being in the same friend group and all.

He remembered when Natsu confessed to him about liking Lucy since they were just kids. He remembered the way Natsu threatened him about going near her, since everyone suspected that he had a crush on her. This was not, however, the case. His heart was reserved for someone else.

He remembered Lucy running up to him after school in their freshman year, excitedly screaming about Natsu asking her out. He remembered feeling so happy for her, and he remembered hugging her with all his might to help her overcome her shock and surprise.

He remembered going on "double dates" with her, Natsu, and Juvia. Although those were mostly Lucy asking Juvia to lunch and Natsu tagging along, which usually ended up with Natsu and Juvia inviting him too, which Lucy had absolutely no problem with, of course.

He remembered the rumor of Natsu cheating on Lucy with his childhood friend, Lisanna. He remembered when Juvia delivered the news to Lucy, who had ended up coming to him about it, seeing as he was Natsu's closest guy-friend.

He remembered when he comforted Lucy for those few short moments after she disappeared from their dinner party that night.

He remembered _everything_ so vividly, as if it all happened just yesterday.

This girl had gone through so much all her life. He was unsure even if she ended up finishing high school. How was she earning a steady income? How could she afford to pay for not only her meals, but for her daughter's too?

What had she been through all these years?

Lucy sniffed, letting go of the meaningful hug and looking up at Gray.

"I'm sure you want some answers," she said quietly, looking over to where Juvia was standing with Lyon. Gray nodded.

"Yeah, that would be really swell."

Lyon stepped forward. "I think we all need a cup of coffee. Why don't we all go to the café at the edge of the street? We can talk there."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia thinks Lyon-sama is right. Let's go."

Lucy nodded, wiping away her tears and stepping back from Gray. Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled something.

"What about the kids?" she asked slowly. Lyon shrugged.

"I'll ask Meredy to look after them," he said. Lucy nodded. Meredy was one of their neighbors who lived on the same floor as them. She loved Tagg and Nashi both, and she enjoyed looking after them. She and Lyon were good friends, meeting through Lucy.

"That's a good idea. I'll call her right away."

Once everything was ready, and Meredy was all set with the children, Lucy, Lyon, Gray, and Juvia went outside the apartment complex and headed for the café at the corner of their street.

"This looks cozy," Gray commented as they stepped inside. The other three nodded.

"It is. Lucy and I come here for quiet chats with Nashi and Tagg all the time. The kids don't really enjoy the meetings, but it's a good way to release all the tension they have together from school."

"Makes sense."

"Anyway, take a seat," Lucy mumbled quietly, seating herself next to Lyon, as Gray and Juvia slipped into the seats across from them.

"Now, I'm going to assume you left because of Nashi?" Gray asked pointedly. Lucy nodded as the waitress came.

"Four cappuccinos please," Lyon said to her, shooing her off.

Lucy turned back to Gray. "That's right. After what happened, Levy wanted me to take a test since I was acting weird through the dinner get together. I did, and it turned out I was two weeks pregnant with Natsu's child."

She said it so casually, but both Juvia and Gray knew she was hurting deep down.

"That must have been rough on you, Lucy-san," Juvia said, taking her hand from across the table.

Lucy nodded. "It was. It really was… I told Levy I was going to leave Magnolia, and I packed my bags and left without another thought the next day. I caught the first train to Acalypha and moved into the cheapest apartment complex I could find with the spendings I gad gathered from my multiple summer jobs throughout high school."

Juvia nodded. "Yes, Juvia remembers. Juvia and Levy-san had worked with you in a few of them."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, Levy was kind enough to share her earnings with me, to get me started with my new life, and I used the internet to complete high school and get an online diploma."

Gray's eyes widened. "Wow. That's really impressive."

Lucy nodded, but didn't adress the matter any further. "After that, I had Nashi, and everything in my world changed. Around that time, my father found me, and he came over to see Nashi. Thank Mavis he supported me… I don't know what I would have done if he didn't. He offered me a little cash to help me support my daughter, and my life was set for the next few months."

Lyon decided to step in. "That was when I moved in. My teaching career had led me to Acalypha, where the spot for the elementary principal was opened and I was offered it. Around that same time, I adopted Tagg, and the two of us moved into the apartment right next to Lucy's."

Lucy nodded. "That's right. When I found out Lyon was living right next door, I knew I had a friend I could count on. Anyway, I began looking for a job. No matter how much Lyon tried to make me take an easy teaching job at the school, I didn't. I don't really know why I didn't, but I guess I felt guilty about pouring my problems out on Lyon. I didn't want to be much trouble to him for any longer than I had to."

Gray snorted. "If it were me, I'd make him pool out his pockets inside out."

Lucy smiled at that. "After that, I found an easy waitressing job at a restaurant nearby, and once I explained my situation to the manager, he offered me enough money and a few meals from the restaurant free for whenever I needed them in exchange for excellent quality service. I did my best, all while raising Nashi."

Juvia sighed. "Lucy is so brave…" she marveled.

"Anyway, last week, I had to bring Nashi in to work because of a school holiday… and she may or may not have totally wrecked the restaurant."

Gray whistled. "Yep. She's definitely Natsu's daughter."

"I lost my job after that whole incident… so I've been looking for a new one ever since."

Juvia tutted, an idea suddenly hitting her.

"You said you like working in the food business, Lucy-san?" she asked. Lucy nodded, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you could say that. After working as a waitress for so long, I'm kind of used to it."

Juvia beamed. "Yes! Juvia agrees! In fact, Juvia knows a job that would be perfect for Lucy! She knows the owner quite well, and she thinks that Lucy would be perfect for it!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Woah, really? What kind of job is it?"

"Well, one of Juvia's friends owns a restaurant and bar service in Magnolia. It's called _Fairy Tail_ , and it's very popular."

Gray's eyes popped out of their sockets as he stared at his wife in disbelief.

"Juvia!" he yelled, shocked. "What are you doing!?"

Juvia ignored him.

"If Lucy-san would like, Juvia can set up a job interview with the owner. Juvia is sure the owner will love Lucy."

Lucy bit her lip. "That sounds really nice, Juvia… but if I wanted the job, I'd have to move to Magnolia… and I just don't know if that would be the best thing for me and Nashi right now, you know?"

Gray sighed, giving into Juvia's antics.

"Lucy, you need to face reality soon enough."

Lucy looked away instantly. "I know… but I think we need a little time, and-"

Gray shook his head. "Be quiet. You know you need to go back sooner or later. It's been more than ten years, Lucy. If not for you, think about your daughter. Don't you think she needs to meet all the people her mother was close to?"

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows, thinking it over to herself. She knew Gray was right. She knew that sooner or later, she'd have to go back and regroup with her friends.

… and Natsu.

Lucy sighed. No. It was still too soon for any of that. She wasn't ready. Not now, at least. She had no idea what Natsu was even up to these days.

She still hadn't moved on, no matter how much she wanted to.

Gray and Juvia looked at her intently, watching the curves of her face change ad shift between different expressions. Juvia clenched her teeth.

"Juvia knows that Lucy-san is hurting because of what Natsu did to her. Juvia will never forgive what Natsu did to one of her best friends."

"Juvia…" Lucy started, but was efficiently cut off.

"Let Juvia speak, Lucy. As Juvia was saying, Juvia understands the pain that comes from past lovers. Juvia too, had a boyfriend that was a bad man. Oh how bad that man was…" Juvia continued, shivering at the old memories.

Gray twisted his lips as Juvia told her story. He gently took her hand from under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Bora-kun… Juvia means, Bora… hurt Juvia very badly. He didn't take away the rain from Juvia's heart. He only increased it. All this time, Juvia was looking for someone who would take her pain and sadness away. The pain of her past."

Lucy nodded, listening closely. Lyon was too, wanting to know about Juvia's past troubles.

"Go on, Juvia honey," he encouraged.

Juvia just ignored him. "Think about it this way, Lucy-san. If Juvia's heart hadn't been broken when Bora had broken up with her, she would never have met her Gray-sama, and he would never have helped her overcome her past troubles."

Gray mentally nodded, remembering the day before he asked Juvia to be his girlfriend. The day when Juvia had confided in him about her childhood.

"What are you saying, Juvia?" Lucy asked.

"I'm saying," Juvia said, "that maybe Natsu _wasn't_ the one for you. Or maybe he was. If he was, then both of you need time. Lucy, you had a child with him. You gave birth to his daughter, and something like that can't be changed."

"What am I supposed to do, Juvia? How can I just move on from him? He doesn't even know, dammit!"

Lucy was breathing heavily now, sweat pouring down her forehead as she breathed in and out, her throat becoming dry as memories flooded her brain.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Gray suddenly cut in.

"How was I supposed to? I couldn't just go up to him the day after I found out he cheated on me that I was pregnant with his child! That would look so pathetic!"

"You should have done it anyway, Lucy! You needed support from Nashi's father! You couldn't do it on your own!" Gray said, his voice becoming harder and heavier. People from surrounding tables started to notice, and look over.

"But I did anyway, didn't I, Gray Fullbuster?!" Lucy screamed. "I gave birth to my daughter by myself! I finished high school by myself! I got a job by myself! I earned money by myself! I took care of Nashi by myself! I SPENT TEN YEARS OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS, GRAY. BY. MY. SELF."

Lucy was going out of control now, her hands were shaking and her voice was cracking, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Lyon, Juvia, and Gray all looked awestricken by her sudden outburst. They knew where she was coming from, of course. What Lucy had been through was unimaginable pain; even Juvia had to admit it was much worse than herself.

"Oh you poor, poor thing," Juvia said, tears streaming down her face as she enveloped her friend in a hug. Lucy let the tears fall, crying silently into the bluenette's shoulder.

"Thanks, Juvia," Lucy sniffed.

"Lucy, you're so brave," Gray muttered, taking Lucy's hand from across the table. Lucy managed to let out a strangled cough, before Gray got up from his seat and hugged the blonde too.

Lyon looked at the three in their group hug. This was exactly what Lucy needed at the moment; he knew that.

"So, are you going to take the job, then?" Gray asked once he let go. Juvia still held on to her.

Lucy pulled away, shaking her head roughly. "No, I don't think so. I don't think moving to Magnolia after all these years is a good idea. Even if it is for a good cause. Juvia, can you tell me more about the job?"

Juvia nodded. "The job that's being offered is the manager of the waiters and waitresses. Applicants must have at least five years of experience in the food industry, which of course, you have double."

"That makes sense. But why the restaurant name? _Fairy Tail_ is the name of our old high school!" Lucy said.

"Yeah, the owner made a lot of memories when _he_ was a student at Fairy Tail High. He decided to name the restaurant after it."

"Oh… so the owner was a student at our high school. That's really interesting. Did we know the owner?"

"Eh… you could say that," Gray shrugged, cutting into the conversation, but didn't address the matter any further. Lucy hummed, nodding.

"Alright. Is there anything else you can tell me? Maybe more about the restaurant?" she asked. Gray smirked.

"Looks like someone's getting tempted to take the job…" he teased. Lucy huffed.

"So what if I am? And anyway, it's not really what I _want_ to do, it's more like what I _have_ to do," she said quietly. Gray shrugged.

"Whatever," he said. "Anyway, the restaurant is a unique all-rounder type thing."

"Unique… all-rounder? What does that mean?" Lucy asked.

"It means the restaurant serves many different kinds of foods. Not like most restaurants, which mostly specify in specific dishes from certain places in the world," Lyon cut in, scratching his chin. Juvia nodded.

"Lyon-sama is correct," she said.

Gray sighed. "The owner loves food. Like literally. He's in love with it. I think I remember him promising to marry it one day… eh, who knows. I guess that's why he decided to make that kind of restaurant."

Lucy giggled. "He sounds like a dorky guy. Did I know him at all? Are you guys going to give me any clues at all regarding who he is?"

"Nah. You can find out for yourself _when you show up at the job interview,_ " Gray smirked. Lucy crossed her arms.

"Oh, I get it. This is all just a ploy to get me to take the job," she accused. "Well, it isn't going to work, because I am not taking it."

Juvia slammed her fists on the table. "Oh come on, Lucy-san! You'll love it! You're guaranteed to love it!" ' _And the owner…'_ she added silently in her head.

"Nuh-uh. Well, not until I ask Nashi about it, of course," Lucy said, thinking about the situation. Juvia sighed, sitting back in her seat.

"Alright, and if you do end up taking it, Gray-sama and Juvia will cut their trip short and accompany Lucy-san to her interview!" she exclaimed.

Lucy's eyes widened. "What?! No! I couldn't ask you to do that for me! You came here with your children to enjoy a nice summer with Lyon and Tagg! I can't make you go back to Magnolia so soon!"

Gray shook his head. "No arguments, Lucy. Juvia's right. You might end up needing support when you get the job."

" _If_ I get the job, which also depends on if I take the interview or not."

"Oh come on, Lucy. You know you want to," Lyon said slyly.

Lucy grumbled something under her breath.

"Mm… alright, fine," she muttered, her eyes darkening.

The three others cheered happily.

"Awesome!" Gray said.

"Yayy!" Juvia grinned.

"Wonderful." Lyon smirked.

" _But_ , before I agree to anything properly, I need two favours," Lucy cut in. The three instantly calmed down, looking at the blonde with interest. "One, I need you to let me talk to Nashi about this. _Only_ if she agrees, I'll come to Magnolia."

Juvia and Gray nodded.

"Absolutely. You deserve that much, at least," Gray said.

"Right. And second, I want both of you to tell me _how exactly you ended up together!_ " Lucy suddenly exclaimed, grinning like an idiot.

"EHHHHH?"

"Yup! You heard me! Spill all the juicy little details!"

"EHHHHH?!" Gray yelled again, tilting his head. Juvia, however, beamed.

"Yes! Lucy-san! It was a wonderful afternoon the summer before college began…"

Lyon looked like he was about to be sick.

* * *

 **Can you tell Gruvia is my OTP? XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: I can't believe I was able to write this much in one morning. Ah well, enjoy this kinda ironic chapter! XD A lot of you have been asking about Natsu and how he's been doing, so hopefully I didn't disappoint.**

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath, standing outside her daughter's room later that day. Once she, Lyon, Gray, and Juvia came back from their coffee meeting, she and Nashi went back to their apartment immediately.

Nashi had gone to her room, and Lucy went to hers to contemplate her next move. She sighed, knowing she had to keep her promise to Gray and Juvia about talking to her daughter.

"Uh… Nashi? Can I talk to you?" she called, knocking on the door a few times. She heard a small cough, before the ruffling of sheets and footsteps leading to the door.

It opened, revealing the pink-haired girl with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Mommy! What happened?" Nashi asked.

"Nash, can I come in, please?" Lucy asked, gesturing inside Nashi's room. The girl nodded, opening the door wider and seating herself on her bed. She slid her mother's laptop away and grinned.

"Before you say anything, yes, I did indeed steal your laptop," she said proudly. "In fact, I did it so sneakily, you didn't even know!"

Lucy frowned. "Really now? When did you do this?" she asked.

"When you were out and Meredy was looking after us. Storm and I managed to sneak away and go to our home, and we stole your laptop!" Nashi exclaimed.

"Oh? So what you're saying is, you had help from a boy that's two years younger than you?" Lucy asked slyly.

"What! No! It isn't like that, Mommy! Storm just wanted to tag along because he thinks I'm a little baby that can't take care of myself! He's just a weird person who likes doing stuff with water! And he's mean!"

Lucy giggled.

"If you say so," she shrugged. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah? What is it, Mommy?" Nashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… you remember last week when you destroyed Mommy's work place?" Lucy started cautiously. Nashi laughed nervously.

"Oh… uh… yeah, sorry about that again, Mommy."

"It's alright, but… you know Storm and Sylvia's parents? Aunt Juvia and Uncle Gray?" Lucy asked. Here goes nothing.

"Aunt? Uncle? Mommy, they're not my aunt and uncle! They're Tagg's Aunt and Uncle!" Nashi said, confusion plastered on her face.

"Well, Gray and Juvia are very good friends of mine, so technically, that makes them your aunt and uncle in a sense," Lucy explained.

Nashi shrugged. "Okay. Whatever."

"Anyway, Aunty Juvia told me about a new job. Something that can help both of us to have a better life from now on," Lucy said softly.

"A… better life? But I love my life right now, Mommy! Even Tagg has started to be a little nicer to me," Nashi said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Lucy sighed, and laughed. "Yes, I do too, but what this job can do can be amazing for both of us. Wouldn't you want something amazing?" she asked, poking Nashi's shoulders.

"Oh, yeah! Something amazing would be so cool!" Nashi said. "Mommy, I think you should take the job!"

"Really?" Lucy asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Yeah! I think it's a good opportunity for you!"

Lucy's expression suddenly darkened. "There's… there's only one problem with the job, Nashi," she started.

"What problem?"

"The restaurant job that's being offered takes place in a different town. Magnolia. Where Mommy grew up."

Nashi stopped. "Magnolia? I've heard about that place. Whenever my friends go on vacation there, they always tell me about the amazing food there," she said.

"Amazing food? Really? Did they tell you any names of restaurants they liked?" Lucy asked. Nashi nodded.

"Yup! I think one was named… _Twilight Ogre_ , but it didn't even come close to the food at another one! Its name is _Fairy Tail_. I remember that name because it's pretty!" she exclaimed.

Lucy bit her lip. "The restaurant Mommy is being asked to work in is called _Fairy Tail_ , too. Aunty Juvia and Uncle Gray want me to work in the best restaurant in all of Magnolia!" she said, waiting for a reaction from her daughter.

Nashi gasped. "What?! Really, Mommy? Yay! Now you absolutely _must_ take the job! _Fairy Tail_ is the best!"

Lucy let out a relieved laugh. "Okay! Then looks like I'm going to be taking the job, then!"

"Does that mean we have to move to Magnolia?" Nashi suddenly asked.

Lucy stared at her. "Uh… yes, Nash. It does," she said quietly.

Nashi looked down. "Oh… for how long?"

"If I want to keep the job, then it'll probably be permanent," Lucy said. "But I'm thinking about doing something else."

"What's that, Mommy?" Nashi asked curiously.

"How about this," Lucy began, "what if we go to Magnolia for the summer, you know, like a long vacation. For three months, I'll work at _Fairy Tail_ , and if we both like it, we'll stay there permanently!"

Nashi clapped her hands in excitement. "Yes! That's a great idea, Mommy! Will I have to go to school there?" she asked.

"Well, not over the summer, of course. But if we stay there, then yes, definitely, but don't worry! I think you'll love it in Magnolia. Mommy has a lot of old friends there, Nash. I can't wait for you to meet them all," Lucy said solemnly.

"It sounds very fun, Mommy. When are we leaving?" Nashi asked.

"Well, I'll have to go tell Aunty Juvia and Uncle Gray first, but if all goes well, we can leave in the next couple of days," Lucy said.

"Awesome! I'm all fired up now!"

Lucy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Her face turned ghostly white as she stared at the young girl sitting in front of her. Nashi's fanged teeth showed brilliantly in the sunlight coming in from the window. She looked _so much like him_ , it was hard for Lucy to take.

She let out a choking laugh. "Yeah, Sweetie… I'm all fired up too."

…

Lucy sat in front of Gray and Juvia, playing with the hem of her skirt. She had just finished replaying what had happened with Nashi to them, and least to say, they were quite shocked.

"Nashi-nee really said that?" Juvia questioned. Lucy twisted her lips and nodded.

"Yeah, she did. It was… it was really surprising to hear that come out of her mouth, you know?" she said.

"That must have hurt you a little more than you liked," Gray pointed out. Lucy shrugged.

"Well, I guess you could say that, but I'm happy. I really am happy," she said. "Now I have an excuse to go back to Magnolia and see all my old friends again."

Gray and Juvia smiled.

"I'm glad you're coming, Lucy," Gray said, taking her hand. Juvia looked at them before smirking.

"LOVE RIVAL!" she yelled teasingly. Gray and Lucy looked at each other, before peeling over in laughter. "Juvia is sorry, but she had to do it. For old time's sake."

"This day couldn't get any better," Gray sighed, leaning back and draping an arm around his wife.

"I brought some tea for my precious Juvia-chan!" Lyon said, twirling into the room.

Gray groaned.

"Spoke too soon."

Juvia giggled. "Anyway, Juvia and Gray-sama shall go back to Magnolia with Lucy-san and Nashi-nee in three days time!" she exclaimed.

Lyon sighed. "Well, it was nice seeing you two again, I suppose," he said, looking at Gray and Juvia.

Gray snorted. "Whatever."

"I'm really sorry about all of this, Gray, Juvia. You really don't have to come with me! I'm sure Storm and Sylvia have been wanting to see Tagg for a while, now!" Lucy said, blushing.

"Nah, it's totally cool. Like we said before, we're glad to come with you for the interview."

Juvia nodded. "Gray-sama is correct," she said. "Shouldn't Lucy-san go back to her apartment to begin packing?"

Lucy gasped. "Oh right! I almost forgot! I should start packing, right. Thanks, Juvia!" she said, quickly getting up and running out the door.

Gray turned to his wife.

"Are you sure she's ready for this?" he asked quietly. Juvia nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Lucy-san is ready. Juvia knows that."

…

The next day, Lucy looked at all her bags stacked up on top of each other in her room. She sighed happily, sitting on her bed and looking at her clock. It was almost midnight. Which meant it was almost Natsu's birthday.

"Mommy! I'm done packing my things!" Nashi's voice sounded through the door.

"Okay! Good job, Nash! Now go to sleep, okay? Want me to come tuck you in?" Lucy asked, preparing herself to get out of the bed.

"No thanks, Mommy! I'm a big girl now!" Nashi suddenly said. Lucy stopped, sitting back in her bed with her mouth slightly open.

"O-oh! Alright then, Nash. Goodnight honey, I love you," Lucy said. One minute till midnight.

"I love you too, Mommy! Night!" Nashi said, before Lucy heard her footsteps get further and further away.

Forty seconds.

Lucy sighed, picking up her phone and opening _GuildMates_ , and going to Gray Fullbuster's page.

 _GuildMates_ was a social media platform where users could post pictures and albums of photos, upload status' and comment on their friend's posts.

Gray's account was the only one that was public out of all of her old friends, so there was no need to follow him. Not like she followed anyone else. She unfriended everyone she knew the day after she left all those years ago.

In fact, she had even blocked Natsu from her profile.

Every year, Gray would post a picture of him and Natsu on Natsu's birthday at exactly midnight. Lucy would always look out for it, to give herself something to look forward to. The caption would usually be something simple and generic, like, _Happy Birthday Flame-for-brains_ , or _Have another great year_.

Something told Lucy that Gray knew she looked at these yearly posts, and that's why he never wrote much. That there was a reason he made his account public.

She looked at her clock again. Just ten seconds left.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Lucy's stomach lurched as she prepared to refresh the page.

Four.

She closed her eyes.

Three.

Tears threatened to fall.

Two.

She opened her eyes, looking at her phone as the clock ticked one more time.

One.

Lucy sighed, swiping her finger up and watching as the page loaded. There, just like she suspected, a fresh new photo appeared.

She bit her lip, looking at the thumbnail. It looked like… Natsu… carrying a… baby?

What.

Lucy's mind instantly went into panic mode. Who was that baby? Was it his? Did this mean he was married?

Lucy quickly tapped the photo, noticing it already had multiple likes.

It was a picture of Natsu holding a baby girl in his hands. Lucy easily recognized her. It was Sylvia.

Thank Mavis.

Her eyes flicked over to the caption, expecting something simple. One sentence probably, or maybe even two.

She was not, however, expecting a giant paragraph.

Her eyes widened as she started to read.

 _Happy Birthday, Natsu. You're kind of cool I guess, though I still hate your guts._

Lucy laughed, unable to help herself.

 _I really, truly cannot believe you just turned twenty-nine. You know what this means, right? It means that you are now officially one year away from being in your third decade. Ha. Take that, loser._

Lucy shook her head. This was classic Gray.

 _Honestly, Fire-Dick, I've been with you WAY too long. Like, too long. Really. I've seen you go through your ups and downs, and I've seen you make a fool of yourself every damn time you try and make it better for everyone. Seriously. STOP. You're not funny, at all._

Lucy pursed her lips.

 _And that time you tried being a playboy in our senior year of college? Yeah, no. That was just disgusting and very disturbing to be frankly honest. I'm glad_ **ErzaSFernandes** _put you in your place after she came back from her honeymoon trip with_ **Jellal.F** _._

Lucy's eyes widened. So Erza and Jellal were married now. She also noticed that Gray had tagged both Erza and Jellal in the description- something he rarely did.

 _Anyways, when you started your own business, I was actually kind of happy for you. Only kind of, got it? That was around the time_ **JuviaLovesGray-sama** _and I had Sylvia. I'm glad you helped us get through the first few years with our second child. With all the babysitting you did, I'm surprised you even lasted that long. What did I tell you? You're great with kids._

So Natsu had started his own business? Wow, that was insanely impressive for a guy like him.

 _Yeah, you're kind of a dork. And we all know Happy only sticks around you because he feels sorry for you, but that's something else. Remember that time when_ **WendyyMarvel** and **CanaFrickingAlberona** _tricked you into falling into the ditch in the middle of the park? Haha, now THAT was some real entertainment. I still can't believe you fell for it._

Lucy snorted. She had to admit, something like that would be insanely funny.

 _Oh well, we all know you're still waiting for that one special girl who'll come and sweep you off of your feet. ;) Don't worry, I know someone who's perfect for you, and hopefully you'll meet her soon enough._

Lucy's jaw dropped. So Natsu was single?! That meant things with Lisanna hadn't worked out! That meant she still had a chance-

No. She couldn't think like that anymore. Not after what Natsu did to her. She needed to calm down.

And what was this about a girl being perfect for him? Why would Gray say something like that? … Oh wait. He didn't know Lucy was reading this right now, so he could say whatever he wanted.

 _A few more notes: one, STOP PRETENDING YOU CAN BEAT_ **LaxusDreyer** _IN A FIGHT BECAUSE IT JUST WON'T HAPPEN. Same goes with Erza. Like, chill dude. You're super annoying, I gotta hand it to ya._

Lucy sighed. So Natsu was still as reckless as ever.

 _Can't wait to go to your hella boring birthday party next week. Storm and Sylvia are looking forward to it. Turns out, my trip to Acalypha was cut short so the family can attend._

Lucy bit her lip. She knew exactly why.

 _Anyway, happy birthday Flame-for-Brains, Fire-Head, Slanty Eyes, Slobby Su, and any other insulting nickname I've ever called you. Have a good one. Cheers._

Lucy sighed as she finished reading the caption. Something told her that Natsu had already seen the post, so she tapped over to the comments section. Sure enough, he was there, along with a few other familiar faces.

 **[NatsuDragneeel: GRRRRR GRAYYY FIGHT MEEEEE! But thanks bud, you're ANNOYING and WEIRD and MEAN and I HATE YOU AND YOUR GUTS. Cheers!]**

 **[LevyMcG: Happy birthday, Natsu! :) ]**

 **[ErzaSFernandes: This post was highly offensive, Gray. Apologize to Natsu immediately for being so rude. Happy birthday, Natsu.]**

 **[GajeelRedfox: Chill out, Scarlet-Fernandes. Salamander deserves whatever hate he gets. CHEERS SLIMY BUFFOON.]**

Lucy sighed, not wanting to read anymore. It was hard to imagine that in just one day, she'd be back in Magnolia and have to face all these people again.

She clicked back to Gray's account, looking at the 'Friend User' button. Should she? They had just reconnected.

Before she could do anything, Lucy saw she had two new notifications. She clicked over to her activity tab, before her eyes widened in shock.

 **GrayFullbuster has requested to be your friend.**

 **JuviaLovesGray-sama has requested to be your friend.**

She laughed nervously, not expecting any less. Lucy quickly accepted the requests and friended both of them back, before going back to Gray's profile and clicking Natsu's birthday post.

Currently, a fight between Natsu and Gray was happening in the comments section.

She shook her head, pressing the heart button to like the post.

Lucy hoped none of her old friends would check the likes.

She sighed, putting her phone away and laying back in bed. Tomorrow morning she would board the early morning train to Magnolia with her daughter, Gray, and Juvia.

Nothing could go wrong.

…

Natsu Dragneel laid on his stomach on his bed in his small Magnolia apartment, sighing as he typed back a comeback in the comments section of his rival's newest post.

Gray always posted on his birthday, but he never wrote _this much_. Even Natsu was surprised. He began to reread what he had written, stopping at the part saying that he was still single.

Natsu grumbled something under his breath. Sure, he was single. Why did that blasted Gray have to make such a big deal about it? Grrr… why couldn't he just mind his own business? Especially on such a big social media site like _GuildMates_.

He quickly scanned the post again, stopping at the likes.

The picture had gained twenty-one likes, but after scanning the comments section, Natsu saw he had only gotten twenty birthday wishes.

Agh. He hated the people who would like the post but wouldn't wish him a happy birthday.

Natsu quickly clicked over to the people who had liked the post.

 _ **ErzaSFernandes liked this post and left a comment: "This post was highly offensive, Gray. Apologize to Natsu immediately for being so rude. Happy birthday, Natsu.**_ "

 _ **JuviaLovesGray-sama liked this post and left a comment: "Juvia wishes Natsu a very happy birthday!"**_

 _ **Jellal.F liked this post and left a comment: "My wife definitely did put Natsu in his place that day. No offense, Lovely. Happy birthday Natsu."**_

 _ **CanaFrickingAlberona liked this post and left a comment: "We should drink sometime Natsuuuu. Happy birthdayy."**_

 _ **WendyyMarvel liked this post and left a comment: "Happy Birthday Natsu-san!"**_

 _ **LaxusDreyer liked this post and left a comment: "We all know Natsu will never beat me, Gray. No need to make a public announcement about it. Happy bday Natsu."**_

 _ **Mirajane liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday, Natsu!"**_

 _ **LisannaStraussss liked this post and left a comment: "happy day of birth, natsu..!"**_

 _ **ElfmanStraussss liked this post and left a comment: "birthdays are so totally MANLYYYY! hapPY MANLY BDAY NATSU DRAGNEEL!"**_

 _ **LokeLionPurr liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday, Natsu. This year is surely for you and the ladies!"**_

 _ **LevyMcG liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday, Natsu! :)"**_

 _ **GajeelRedfox liked this post and left a comment: "Chill out, Scarlet-Fernandes. Salamander deserves whatever hate he gets. CHEERS SLIMY BUFFOON.**_ "

 _ **Macao000 liked this post and left a comment: "Happy bday bud."**_

 _ **GildartsClive liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday, Natsu! Let's fight sometime!"**_

 _ **EvergreenStrauss liked this post and left a comment: "happy bday."**_

 _ **Freed123 liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday."**_

 _ **BickslowBabiesss liked this post and left a comment: "h29bd."**_

 _ **Bisca liked this post and left a comment: "Happy Birthday!"**_

 _ **Alzack liked this post and left a comment: "Happy birthday, Natsu dude!"**_

 _ **Zeref liked this post**_

Natsu nodded to himself. So far, so good. Everyone on the list so far had given him a birthday wish. Well, except his brother, but he could look past that because Zeref would most likely call him in the morning to wish him. Natsu knew the next person on the list was the person who hadn't wished him yet.

But who the person was, completely shocked him.

 _ **LucyHeartfilia liked this post**_

"Lucy… Heartfilia…?" Natsu's eyes widened as he recognized the name with ease.

He had always tried to find Lucy on _GuildMates_ , but he never could. She never came up on the search bar. His only guess was that she had either blocked him, or that she didn't have an account.

But he knew that he could access someone's account if they blocked him by going through a link to their page.

His eyes stayed wide as he quickly tapped into her profile, and was not at all surprised to see the 'Friend User' button not there. She really had blocked him.

He quickly skimmed her bio.

 _A simple woman of twenty-nine living in Acalypha. ;P If you can't reach me, I'm probably with Nashi. Looking for work._

Natsu choked on his spit.

Lucy had been in Acalypha all this time. All this time she had been in Fiore.

"Luce… why'd ya' leave?" he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and chucking his phone across the room.

Of course, Natsu wasn't a total idiot. He knew that he had hurt her when Lisanna had pinned him up and kissed him that day.

He had tried to explain. He really had, but she just didn't listen.

The truth was that he never had cheated on her. That was all Lisanna's doing.

He still remembered the day vividly.

" _Natsuuuu!" Lisanna yelled, running up to Natsu in the back alleyway. Natsu was busy waiting for his girlfriend, Lucy, there. The two were supposed to walk home together that day and do homework together at her house._

 _His ears perked up as he recognized the voice of his childhood friend._

" _Oh, heya, Lisanna," he said, shooting her a friendly wave. She returned it, before stalking up to him._

" _Say, Natsuuu…" she purred, placing her hands on his shoulders and rubbing them. "I heard Lucy never lets you go further with her… that must leave you_ so _sexually frustrated, hmm?"_

 _Natsu furrowed his eyebrow. "What? No! That's not true at all. Just a few weeks ago, we-"_

" _A few weeks? You've gone a few weeks without any relief?" Lisanna asked, looking so innocent even Natsu had to admit she had a point._

" _Her… her father's always around… he…" he started, his breath sucking in as Lisanna wrapped her arms around his body. "W-what… what are you doing, Lisanna?"_

" _I'm gonna help you, Natsuuuu," she purred, going close to his ear and whispering sensual words to him._

" _N-no! Stop! I'm… I'm dating Lucy!"_

 _Suddenly, Lisanna planted her mouth on his, and his next words were drowned in the messy kiss._

 _Lisanna was a_ wonderful _kisser, Natsu had to admit._

 _She backed the two of them to the wall of the building nearby, kissing him feverishly, all while Natsu stood there not moving._

 _He had to resist the urge to kiss back. He_ had _to. For Lucy._

 _But he couldn't. Soon, she had flipped them so it looked like Natsu was pinning_ her _, and he began to very softly kiss her back._

 _What was he doing?!_

 _Why couldn't he pull away?!_

 _Natsu was yelling at himself in his mind, cursing himself for doing this. He was betraying Lucy, but he didn't want to. Not at all._

" _Natsu…?" someone whispered from behind them. Natsu quickly pulled away, looking straight into the eyes of his girlfriend._

" _Oh! Luce… I…" he tried, fumbling with his words as he tried to come up with an explanation._

 _Lucy suddenly walked up to him and slapped him as hard as she could. Her face was tear-stained and red._

" _How… how could you…" she said softly. Then, she grabbed a bunch of his hair and pulled it, pushing him away from her._

 _Then she ran. She ran away from him at wicked fast speed. Natsu could only stare at her figure disappearing further and further from his eyesight._

" _What… what have you done?" Natsu said in a low voice, looking back to Lisanna with fire in his eyes. She shrugged, wearing a very satisfied smirk on her lips._

" _Nothing. Now we can be together forever!" she exclaimed happily._

 _Natsu clenched his teeth._

" _I don't want to be with the likes of you, you son of a… you just ruined my relationship! THAT WAS THE ONLY RELATIONSHIP I WAS EVER HAPPY IN!" he yelled furiously. "What do you even fucking think of yourself as…"_

" _But Natsu! I just wanted to-"_

" _Save it for someone who actually gives a damn," Natsu cut her off, turning his back on her and beginning to walk away._

" _You kissed back," Lisanna's taunting voice said._

 _Natsu clenched his teeth._

" _Just go fuck yourself."_

Natsu grimaced at the memory. After that, he had avoided Lisanna completely, but when she approached him at graduation, looking for his forgiveness, he reluctantly gave it to her.

He didn't want to, but he knew it was the only way Lisanna would stop bothering him.

When Lucy disappeared, Natsu didn't know what to do with his life anymore, since he had a pretty good idea as to why she left.

It was because she thought he was cheating on her… but the truth is, he wasn't. Well, not really, anyway.

He still hated himself for ever kissing Lisanna back… and he still held himself to that fault to this day.

And Lucy had chosen those very moments when he kissed her back to show up in the alley.

Then she left, and it was all his fault.

Natsu remembered the one day when he cried all night due to what had happened. Why was this happening to him?

Levy was the only one who knew the entire story, and to this day, she refused to tell him.

In that moment, Natsu made a decision. He quickly clambered out of bed and ran to his computer. He scrolled through the many train departure times before finally settling on one early the next morning.

A four hour train ride that would take him straight to Acalypha. His motion sickness would be off the roof for the journey, but he would bear it to see Lucy again.

He had to be back by the day after, though.

Juvia had told him some girl was coming in for a job interview regarding the managing job he was offering for _Fairy Tail_.

As the owner of the restaurant, he had to make sure the applicant was good enough for the job.

* * *

 **Welp. That happened.**

 **Heyyy I'm a review hungry author here... so let me know what you think of the story so far?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: Enjoy another 17-page chapter. Honestly, I'm getting out of control.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the sweet reviews! Those are what motivate me to write, so thanks for that! ^_^**

* * *

"Ready to go?" Lucy asked as she and her friends walked onto the train station platform. Gray and Juvia both grinned in her direction.

"Yep, you bet!" Gray said, giving her a thumbs-up and winking.

Juvia turned to Lyon and Tagg.

"It may have been a short visit, but Juvia thanks you both, Tagg and Lyon-sama," she said, slightly bowing.

Lyon laughed. "Oh don't worry about it, Juvia-chan. I shall miss you greatly, but until the time comes when we reunite, I will be waiting for you."

Tagg shot his father a weird look. "Dad, you're getting sappy again," he whispered.

Lyon said nothing, but looked longingly at the blue-haired woman as she linked arms with her husband and smiled at her children.

"Storm! Sylvia! Come on, you two. Go say goodbye to Tagg so we can get going," Gray called to the two kids.

"Okay, Dad!" Storm yelled back, taking the hand of his younger sister.

Sylvia nodded, turning to her green-haired cousin. "Goodbye, Tagg-san," she said, holding her hand out for a shake.

Tagg laughed. "You are much too formal for a five-year-old," he said, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. "But see you around, Sylv."

Lyon nudged Tagg. "She takes after her mother in that area."

Nashi then climbed out of her mother's hands and inched her way over to Lyon and Tagg. She smiled at Lyon.

"Bye, Uncle Lyon," she said, giving the older man a hug.

"Goodbye, my little Nashi," Lyon said, patting her head. "Hopefully I'll see you soon."

Nashi nodded, before turning to Tagg. "See ya around, Tagg," she offered, shooting him a friendly wave. "It's been nice being your friend. No matter how long that lasted."

Tagg scoffed. "Whatever. I'm totally not going to miss you, so just forget about it!"

Lucy and Juvia watched the two interact in awe. Juvia squealed.

"Juvia thinks Tagg and Nashi-nee are a great couple!" she exclaimed. Lucy raised her eyebrow, shaking her head.

"Hm… I doubt it. I think Tagg and Nashi are going to stay close friends. I'm counting on Nashi and Storm," she said slyly.

Juvia's eyes widened. "But Lucy-san, they hate each other!"

Lucy nodded. "True, but I'm a big believer in astrology. You see, Storm is an Aries, and Nashi is a Leo. Two of the most compatible signs." She smiled. "Tagg, on the other hand, is a Taurus, and Leo's are least compatible with them."

Juvia shrugged. "Juvia is sorry, but she has no idea what you are talking about," she said.

Lucy laughed. "Whatever. Let's get on the train," she said quickly, pushing the woman into the train cart. "Come on, Nash! Let's get going!"

…

"Come on, Nash! Let's get going!"

Natsu's eyes widened at the familiar voice. His quickly turned around on the train platform, looking for its owner.

Natsu had just gotten off the train from Magnolia. The journey to Acalypha was long and rough, and it was absolutely no fun.

Natsu's motion sickness was getting out of control, to say the least.

Ew. Just the thought of it made him want to hurl.

After four disgustingly long hours, he was finally able to step off the train. It was all worth it though, just the thought of seeing his ex-girlfriend again made his heart soar.

He ran across the platform, looking for a familiar blonde, but he couldn't see anyone that fit the criteria.

He sighed. What was he doing? She probably wasn't in the train station anyway. She was probably at home, cuddled up by the fire and writing her novel or something.

Natsu remembered Lucy's bio on _GuildMates_. It said something about someone named 'Nashi'. Who was that? Was that Lucy's boyfriend? Husband, perhaps? He snorted at the thought.

Natsu shook his head. He'd deal with the thought of her in a relationship at a later time. Right now, all he was focused on was finding the girl.

"Looking for someone?" a voice cut into his thoughts. Natsu's eyes widened as he recognized it.

"Gray. What are you doing here?" Natsu said, his teeth clenching.

"Uh, newsflash, I kind of came on a vacation here with Juvia and the kids?" Gray said, lazily smirking. "You, on the other hand, did not. What are _you_ doing here?"

Natsu mentally slapped himself. He almost forgot that Gray had come here with his family. He could have just called him and asked him to find Lucy for him!

Wait, no. That wasn't showing his consideration in the slightest. It would have been a terrible idea if he had done that.

Natsu sighed in defeat. "I came here looking for someone."

"Well, was it perhaps a beautiful blonde woman by the name of _Lucy Heartfilia_?" Gray asked, placing his hands on his hip.

"You have no proof that I came here looking for Luce," Natsu said, his hands clenching into fists.

"Oh yeah? Well the use of that nickname tells me otherwise," Gray said pointedly.

"YOU ICE FREAK!" Natsu yelled.

"YOU FIRE SLOB!" Gray retorted.

"GRRR FIGHT ME!"

"WITH PLEASURE!"

Natsu stopped, about to get into a fighting stance before realizing something. He shook his head, putting his fingers on his temple.

"Actually, you know what? I don't have time for this," he decided, looking up at Gray. "Do you or do you not know where Lucy is?"

Gray shrugged. "Before that, I want to know how you found out about her whereabouts."

"I saw she liked your photo on _GuildMates_ this morning," Natsu explained. "All I had to do was read her bio."

"Ah, that explains it," Gray said, yawning. "Well, I'd be happy to help you, but it'll cost you a bit."

"Fine. Your payment is the privilege to not bring me a birthday present to my party this week," Natsu said, crossing his arms.

"Not good enough."

Natsu and Gray definitely weren't as childish in their fights as they were back when they were students, but their bickering definitely held just as much meaning as it did before, even if they did it in a much more sophisticated manner now.

"I'll tell Erza about this!"

"O-oh!" Gray suddenly said, his eyes clouding with fear. "Fine! I'll tell you!"

Yep. Some things never change.

"Good boy," Natsu teased.

"Whatever," Gray said, before pointing to something behind him.

"Heh?" Natsu said, turning around to see what Gray was gesturing to.

There she was. Lucy was standing right there with the brightest smile on her face. She was holding a young girl with bright pink hair that went down to her waist. The girl was laughing, hiding her chocolate brown orbs. Lucy was wearing a long green maxi-skirt with a white button-down blouse. Her hair was tied up in a loose braid and a simple leather purse was swung around her shoulder. Her lips held a small amount of lip gloss, and she was wearing dark brown sandals with socks.

She looked… so different. So much more… innocent, than how she used to.

Instead of short crop-tops and tight little skirts that showed off her beautiful curves, she wore long, loose clothing that hid as much skin as possible. Instead of heavy, dark makeup, she used small dabs of eyeliner and a little blush. Instead of heels that rivaled Fiore's tallest skyscrapers, she wore heel-less sandals with socks; something the old Lucy would have scoffed at.

She was… so beautiful. Natsu couldn't tear his eyes away.

He stepped forward with his right foot, desperate to go up to her and kiss the life out of her. He spread his arms wide and began to call her name.

"Hold on just a second," Gray's annoying voice cut through his fantasies, his hand grabbing Natsu's shirt.

Natsu ticked in annoyance. "What is it?! I have to go to her!"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Gray said, looking at Lucy and Nashi interact. "You see that girl with her?"

Natsu nodded, looking at the Lucy-lookalike with pink hair. "Yeah? What about her?" he asked, confused.

Gray almost slapped himself. "Nothing. But it would do you good to remember her face," he said simply, pushing Natsu away and beginning to walk to Lucy. "Now get out of my sight."

"What are you talking about?! I have to go see Lucy! Lucy… Lucy… I haven't seen her in years! I have to! I… have to…"

Natsu grabbed his head, his thoughts spinning around in circles.

"Go back home. And don't tell anyone about Lucy just yet," Gray finished as Natsu began to question himself. "Oh, and… happy birthday."

Natsu gulped as Gray walked away. He watched as he took Lucy's hand and led her inside the train.

What…? What was going on?

Gray and Lucy had reconnected sometime during Gray's vacation? Or had they never even stopped talking?

And who exactly was that little girl? She looked exactly like Lucy, minus her hair… what did that mean?

Natsu wasn't a complete idiot. He knew exactly what that meant.

Lucy had a daughter.

And the father wasn't him.

"You look completely out of it," a new voice chimed in. Natsu turned his head to see the infamous Lyon Vastia standing in front of him.

"Oh. I know you. You're Gray's cousin," Natsu said with a dead voice.

Lyon nodded. "That is correct. This is my son, Tagg," he said, gesturing to a young boy with brilliant green hair. Natsu smiled, leaning down to greet him.

"Yo. My name's Natsu," he said with a half-hearted wink. He was still thinking about Lucy.

Tagg gave him an odd look.

"You remind me a lot of Nashi," he said. "Are you her grandfather or something?"

Natsu missed Lyon swiftly kicking Tagg in the shin.

"Oi! I ain't that old!" Natsu said. "In fact, today's my birthday."

Lyon suddenly nodded. "Oh yes. I saw Gray's post on _GuildMates_. Happy birthday," he said, sticking out his hand for Natsu to shake.

Natsu took it, giving the white-haired man an uneasy look.

"Say, do you know a girl named Lucy Heartfilia?" he asked, wondering if he could get any information about Lucy from this man.

Lyon shrugged. "I have heard of the name, but I do not know her very well personally. We have bumped into each other a few times."

"Hm. Oh well. Can I have your _GuildMates_ I.D.?" Natsu asked, his face lifting into a friendly smile. "We might as well keep in touch, just in case you happen to run by her or something."

Lyon nodded. "Sure. It's _**LyonnVastiaa**_. What's yours?" he asked, taking out his phone while Natsu made a new contact in his.

"Huh? Oh. I'm _**NatsuDragneeel**_ ," he said quickly, requesting to friend Lyon. He suddenly got a notification in his activity feed.

 _ **LyonnVastiaa has requested to be your friend.**_

Natsu quickly accepted the requested and scrolled through his new friend's feed, looking for any clues about Lucy.

His eyes widened as he landed on a certain picture.

It was a picture of Lucy and Tagg, and by the looks of it, they were sitting at a restaurant table. Natsu quickly looked at the caption.

 _Thanks for joining us for dinner, Lucy and Nashi! :)_ **LucyHeartfilia**

Natsu noticed that Lucy had been tagged in the description of the photo, and went into the comments section.

 **[LucyHeartfilia: Thanks a million for the invite, Lyon! Nashi and I had a blast! xP ]**

 **[LyonnVastiaa:** _ **LucyHeartfilia**_ **No problem at all! I heard you're still going back to work tomorrow? Don't you think you deserve a little break from all the action?]**

 **[LucyHeartfilia: Haha yeah, but I need to work tomorrow for Nashi. I promised I'd take her out to a nice dinner for her birthday this year.]**

 **[LyonnVastiaa:** _ **LucyHeartfilia**_ **Well then, I'm expecting an invite!]**

 **[LucyHeartfilia: Haha you wishhh.]**

"I thought Lucy wanted to keep herself away from all her old friends," Natsu began darkly, "why would you post this picture when literally everyone from Magnolia follows you?"

"It's simple, really. I just restricted a few people from seeing this post particularly. After hearing about Lucy's past, I really had no choice," Lyon explained, tapping something on his screen. He handed his phone over to Natsu. "Here, take a look for yourself."

Natsu's eyes widened as a few of his friends appeared on this restricted list. All the people that Lucy used to know who followed Lyon.

 _This post has been hidden from…_

 _ **GrayFullbuster**_

 _ **JuviaLovesGray-sama**_

 _ **LevyMcG**_

 _ **ErzaSFernandes**_

 _ **JetFromDroy**_

 _ **DroyFromJet**_

Natsu bit his lip, handing Lyon back his phone.

"I don't get it. It looks like you and Lucy are really good friends."

Lyon shook his head.

"No, we only met once at a restaurant. Tagg and Nashi knew each other from school, and since I'm the principal of their school, Lucy and I met that way. Later that evening, we took this picture and friended each other on _GuildMates_ ," he explained.

Natsu sighed. "Can you tell me anything? Anything at all?"

Lyon shook his head. "No, because I don't know anything."

"Whatever. I better get going to Magnolia. The next train leaves in ten minutes."

Lyon nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll be seeing you around then, Natsu," he said, patting the man on his shoulder.

"You're kinda weird, and you remind me of a certain Ice Prick, but nah. Yer cool enough," Natsu said, beginning to walk to the train. He suddenly stopped, turning back to Lyon.

"Did you need something?" Lyon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Gray… told me it would do good ta' remember the face of that little girl Lucy was with," Natsu said, looking down at his feet. "Do you know why?"

"Gray wasn't wrong, for once. You really are a complete fool," Lyon said, shaking his head.

"Oi! You don't hafta, but it would be cool," Natsu said, crossing his arms childishly.

Lyon rolled his eyes. "Just get on the train. I'll see you around, I suppose," he said, pushing Natsu onto the train.

Natsu's face immediately became green.

"Blegh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" he mumbled as he walked deeper into the cart.

Lyon sighed, shaking his head.

"That dork's all yours, Lucy."

…

Natsu stayed silent throughout the journey back to Magnolia, except for a few wheezes and the occasional barf.

He used the quiet train ride to think to himself. Mostly about Lucy, and why she could have left.

Of course, the most obvious solution was that Lucy had left because she thought Natsu had cheated on her, but even Natsu knew that was a little too much. Lucy was a strong girl, and she wouldn't leave town because of something as silly as a breakup. She wouldn't leave her friends because of his own stupidity.

Then he thought about the girl- Lucy's daughter. Could Lucy have been pregnant when she left? The girl did look about eight or nine years old, so it would make sense.

But… no, that wouldn't work. Lucy would have said something if she was pregnant. She wouldn't have slept with another man behind Natsu's back while their relationship was still going strong.

Lucy wasn't like that.

The only explanation for this was that Lucy had gotten herself a boyfriend after she left, had a daughter with him, and then he left her.

The father had so obviously left Lucy. If he hadn't, then Lucy would not have been alone at the train station today.

Why didn't Natsu go up to her?

Why did he listen to Gray for the first time in his life?

Why? Why didn't Natsu run up to her and apologize for his foolishness?

Why couldn't he explain to her what really happened that day?

Was it because he knew Gray, Lyon, and possibly even Juvia knew something he didn't? After all, all three of them were with her at the station earlier.

Why did that burn up Natsu's insides? Was it possible that he still held the girl dear to his heart?

Was it possible… that he still had feelings for her?

"Oh God…" Natsu mumbled to himself, his head in his hands. "I still like Lucy."

The only problem was that he couldn't be with her. Not if she had a daughter with someone else. He couldn't do that to her, no matter how much he wanted to.

…

"Honestly, are you sure this is the best idea?" Lucy asked nervously, looking up at the tall building in front of her.

Gray nodded. "It's important for you to get yourself a nice apartment near the restaurant. Which means it also has to be in the heart of Magnolia."

"I don't even know if I'm going to get the job! Don't you think this is all going a little too fast?" Lucy asked.

"Juvia understands your concerns, Lucy-san, but she thinks that this is best for her. Gray-sama and Juvia picked out this home specifically for you!" Juvia said, grinning like crazy.

Lucy sighed. "Alright. If you say so."

"Good," Gray nodded, opening the door to the building and leading the three of them two floors up. "Welcome to your new home, Miss Heartfilia!"

Lucy's eyes widened once she stepped inside the apartment.

"Oh my God I love it."

It was a nice and simple place. Extremely cozy, and it looked like it could easily fit a woman and her daughter. It had a small living room with an attached kitchen and dining area, and a long hallway leading to a master bedroom and one smaller bedroom. There were two bathrooms; each attached to their respective bedroom.

"And don't worry about rent. Juvia and I have you covered for the next three months," Gray said, causing Lucy to gasp out loud.

"Wait, WHAT?!" she sputtered out. "What?! No! I can't allow you to do that for me! How much was it, anyway?"

"Seventy, Juvia believes," Juvia said, seating herself besides her husband on one of the couches in the living room.

"Seventy-thousand jewel? Per month? For a place like this?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Gray nodded, grinning.

"Quite the steal, amiright?" he asked with a wink.

Lucy bit her lip. "I have to pay you back. though! I can't just let you two do this for me without anything in return!"

Juvia shrugged. "Honestly, Lucy-san, you've done enough for Juvia and her Gray-sama. Not only back in high school, but even now. Getting to see your face after this long was more than enough for Juvia."

"Juvia's right, Lucy. Accept it," Gray said lazily, leaning back in his seat and draping an arm around Juvia's shoulders. Juvia blushed, but didn't say anything.

"Hmph, alright. But you are not getting away with this, you hear me?" Lucy said, crossing her arms. "I'm going to do something amazing for both of you whether you like it or not."

Gray laughed. "Alrighty then."

Lucy secretly smiled. "Thank you. Both of you. Thank you so, so much."

"Lucy-san is very welcome," Juvia said happily, getting up from her seat to hug her friend, much to Gray's displeasure.

"Anyway, we should get you to Fairy Tail. I think the group's having a giant get together today there, anyway. It's a good opportunity to introduce you… I mean, reintroduce you to everyone," he said.

Lucy bit her lip nervously as she rubbed her shoulder. She was going to see her friends again? But she had barely even been in Magnolia for a day!

"Already? Don't you guys think it's a little too soon?" she asked slowly. Gray and Juvia shot her multiple looks that only said one thing, _Are you serious?_

"Come on, Lucy-san!" Juvia exclaimed, taking the blonde's hand and leading her to the front door. "Nashi-nee, Storm, and Sylvia are already waiting there with everyone else!"

Lucy sighed. "Well, alright then. Do you know who's going to be there?"

"Nope. Guess we'll find out," Gray said, shrugging his shoulders. He looked at Lucy, and from one glance, he knew what she was _really_ asking. He laughed. "No, Natsu isn't there. He went to work today."

Well, technically that did mean he was going to be there, but Lucy didn't have to know that. At least Natsu wasn't going to sit at their table or anything. He'd be too busy in his office.

"Oh, okay," Lucy said, acting as if it was nothing. "Didn't Natsu start his own business, or something?" she asked, recalling Gray's post from a few nights ago.

"Yup, that's right," Gray said, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Okay."

Gray and Juvia exchanged a secretive glance with each other, both thinking the same thing. Lucy was about to come face to face with her old friends again, and they had no idea how everyone was going to react.

As the three walked in silence through the streets of Magnolia, Lucy took the opportunity to look around the beautiful town she had once grown to love.

"Magnolia's still so pretty," she breathed out.

"It really is," Juvia agreed.

"Mmm," Gray murmured, taking Juvia's hand behind Lucy as the blonde walked in front of them. "She's going to be alright, right?" he asked just loud enough for his wife to hear.

"Yes, Gray-sama. Lucy-san is going to be fine," Juvia whispered back.

"Hm? Did you say something, Juvia?" Lucy asked, looking back at the couple. Her eyes widened as she looked at their interlocked hands and she quickly looked back front. "Oh! Sorry! Uh… I just…"

Gray couldn't keep his chuckles in. "Nah. It's cool. Anyway, take the next right, and it'll be the first thing you see."

Lucy nodded from in front of them, following Gray's directions and looking straight ahead once she took the right turn. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the huge building in front of her.

"Oh my god it looks amazing," she said in a breathy voice.

Gray and Juvia came up besides her.

"Yep, it really is something special," Gray said, beginning to walk closer to the front doors.

"Is this a regular hangout for your group?" Lucy asked. Juvia nodded.

"Yep. All of us come here at least once a week to step back from work. Juvia and Gray-sama have never missed a single meet," she said proudly.

Lucy smiled. "Wow. It must be really fun."

"It's going to be even more fun now that you're back," Gray said, pushing the large double doors open, and the three of them stepped in.

"GAJEEL! DON'T BE SO IMMATURE!" an unmistakable voice sounded throughout the huge restaurant.

Lucy froze, as Gray sighed and rubbed his temple.

"That's Erza for ya…" he muttered, before turning to Lucy. "Come on, we'll show you to our table."

Lucy nodded, still in shock from hearing Erza's voice.

"Um… do you mind if I stay back for a little bit?" she asked softly. Gray and Juvia exchanged glances, but nodded.

"Sure. Come over whenever you feel like it," Gray said, taking Juvia's hand as they walked over to the large circular table in the corner of the restaurant.

Lucy cautiously followed them, standing behind one of the pillars near the table.

"Look who finally decided to join us," Laxus said, looking up from the plate of fries he was currently eating with Freed.

"Yeah yeah. Don't get your knickers in a twist just yet," Gray said, sitting down in one of the spare chairs as Juvia sat down besides him.

"Gray-sama and Juvia were busy with something, that's all," Juvia explained.

Gajeel snorted. "Really, now? Or were you two just behind a tree making out?"

"Oi! You wanna go, Iron Fist?" Gray said, getting up from his seat.

"Looks like Salamander's rubbing off on you," Gajeel taunted. Gray scoffed.

"Pfft. As if," he said, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry, Gray-sama! No matter how you are, Juvia still loves you!" Juvia squealed, hugging her husband.

"Even after almost eight years of marriage, she still goes bonkers over you, Gray. That's a keeper if I've ever seen one," Loke said.

"Hey, keep your dirty playboy hands off my wife!" Gray snorted, clutching Juvia to his chest.

"Yep, definitely a keeper," Levy said, sipping her drink.

"Honestly, Lev. Aren't you a little old for Cola?" Cana said, burping after gulping down her booze.

Levy's face blushed red. "U-uh… I don't like alcohol, Cana. You know that," she said.

Lucy giggled behind her static position. Her friends were still as goofy as ever, that was for sure. She looked at everyone in awe as they so carelessly played around with each other.

"Has anyone seen the kids?" Mira suddenly asked, worry painting her beautiful facial features.

"Don't worry about them," Erza cut in, "Elfman and Evergreen offered to look after them. They're coming in later. Storm and Sylvia went with them too, along with some pink-haired girl that I didn't recognize."

"A pink-haired girl?" Jellal asked from besides his wife. "Is Natsu having an affair?"

Everyone stopped, before bursting into laughter.

"Haha, good one, Jellal," Lisanna said.

Lucy stopped as she looked at the short white-haired girl. Lisanna was still a part of their group, which meant Natsu and her were still good friends.

Lucy didn't know why, but the thought of them together made her stomach lurch painfully.

"Nah, there's only one girl good enough for Natsu," Gray said casually, sipping at his wine.

The table went into deadly silence. Lucy's eyes widened, taking this as her cue.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Lucy said under her breath, catching Gray's eye and nodding.

Gray set down his glass, before speaking. He got up out of his chair and gestured to the pillar.

"Speaking of her…" he said, trailing off as Lucy stepped into view.

"Uh… hi, everyone," she said, offering a nervous wave.

And then there was screaming.

* * *

 ***Pants heavily* I'm just gonna go... be over there... screaming my head off. Okay bye.**

 **Don't forget ta review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the wait! I was busy binging on new anime's and stuff... heh heh time went by pretty quickly while I was doing that. I finished this chapter this morning, and now I'm gonna go to my friend's house to meet their new puppy! XD Anyway, enjoy the chapter! (This one was surely fun to write). Also, don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

"Uh… hi, everyone."

No one could really blame Levy for screaming. After Lucy's dramatic introduction, she just went off like a hose.

"LU-CHAN!" she yelled, making the entire restaurant stop what they were doing and look over to see what all the commotion was about. "LU-CHAN LU-CHAN LU-CHANNN!"

Levy stumbled out of her seat, her mouth open and wide as she rushed over to her best friend, jumping up and clasping her into the hardest, and fastest hug Lucy had ever experienced.

"Le...vy...chan…" Lucy wheezed, gasping for air. Tears formed around the edges of her eyes. Lucy was grinning like an idiot.

"Lu-chan… Lu… oh sweet Mavis LUCY!" Levy kept rambling, unable to keep her emotions to herself.

"Heh… that's me," Lucy tried, but her words were effectively washed out by more of her best friend's screaming.

"I… Lu, I don't know what to say, I… I missed you so much! I… Lu-chan, I-"

"Well this is quite the surprise!" a new voice said. Erza got up from her seat, making her way to the blonde and the bluenette. "Lucy! It's so wonderful to see you again!" she continued, going up and pulling Lucy hardly into her chest.

Lucy wheezed.

"The waterworks… the WATERWORKS!" Loke exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and running up to hug the girl. "Lucy!"

"I'm just… so happy…" Mira said softly, wiping away her tears and enveloping the poor girl into a heart wrenching hug. "Lucy… I… I missed you so much!"

"I'll say!" Lucy said, turning to Mira. "I happen to follow you in every week's edition of _Sorcerer Weekly_! Oh my gosh, Mira! Congratulations on your big model break!"

"Oh, look at you… always thinking about others before yourself. Lucy…" Mira gushed, hugging the girl tightly once again.

"Bunny girl's back?!" Gajeel said, raising his eyebrow at the scene of girls piled up on top of each other on the floor.

"My my, Lucy. You did scare us pretty badly all those years ago," Laxus decided to say, coming up and patting her back.

"I'm so pleased to see you again, Lucy Heartfilia," Jellal said, shooting her a heartwarming smile. "It really has been a while."

"Lushyyyy…" Cana droned. "Now that you're back and of legal age to drinkkkk, wanna go at it with meeee?"

Lucy looked at everyone surrounding her. She saw everyone's faces all together, making her heart stop and her cheeks burn red.

"I… I… I missed you all so much…" Lucy said softly, tears running down her cheeks.

The men smirked, smiling at one another, while the women screamed and cried some more, latching onto the blonde like their life depended on it.

Erza chuckled. "Well, we certainly have a lot of catching up to do! Take a seat, Lucy. Right here besides me."

Levy shook her head roughly. "No way! Lu-chan's sitting next to me!"

Juvia shook her head. "Actually, since it was Juvia who saw Lucy-san first, Juvia should get to sit next to her."

"I think, as the eldest woman here, I should get to sit next to Lucy," Mira said.

"No! I'm gonna sit next to her!"

"No! Juvia is!"

"I am, and that's final!"

"ENOUGH!" Erza bellowed, towering over everyone with hawk-like eyes. "I am going to sit next to Lucy. Lucy, sit down."

Lucy gulped, before taking a seat next to the scarlet-haired woman and her husband. Levy slouched, sitting on Lucy's other side.

"Alright, Lucy. Why did you leave?" Jellal asked.

"Actually, do you mind if I leave that story for another time? Don't worry, I'll tell you, but it seems like it's still too soon," Lucy said with a shrug. She felt Levy's hand squeeze hers softly.

"Okay. That's fine," Jellal said, taking a sip of his wine.

"Tell me everything that's been going on here!" Lucy said happily, mustering up her widest grin.

Mira smiled. "Well, as you can see, some of our hottest couples from way back when finally decided to suck up their pride and get together!" she said, looking pointedly at Gray.

"O-oi!" Gray sputtered, avoiding Juvia's gaze.

Everyone laughed.

"Haha, yeah, Juvia told me when she and Gray accidentally found out where I lived a few days ago," Lucy explained.

Mira smiled. "Yeah, everyone was expecting it, honestly," she said.

"So, I see Erza and Jellal finally got together," Lucy pointed out, looking at the couple on her right.

Erza nodded. "That's correct. We dated throughout college. We got engaged in our final year."

"Awww that's so sweet!" Lucy squealed.

"We have a video of the whole thing, if you'd like to see it later," Lisanna said quietly. Lucy looked over at her.

That's right, Lucy had forgotten that she was here.

"I'd really like that!" she said with a smile, tears forming inside her eyes. Then, she turned to her best friend. "Say, Levy… how is _your_ romance life going?"

Levy blushed, looking directly at Gajeel. "Uh… nothing special. Yeah, nothing at all."

Gajeel grunted in approval. "That's right. Nothing, Bunny girl. Mind your own business," he snorted.

"S-sorry!" Lucy stuttered.

"Oh don't be, Lucy," Laxus said. "They're just teasing you."

Gray laughed. "Laxus is right. In fact, Levy McGarden is going to become Levy Redfox in a few short months!"

Lucy's jaw dropped. She turned to Levy and Gajeel with wide eyes.

"WHAT?!" she screamed, taking Levy by her shoulders and shaking her. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

Levy laughed nervously. "Um…"

"TELL ME ALL THE DETAILS, LEVY-CHAN. RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Lucy continued, going off into her own fantasy world.

"How about we… save that… for later?" Levy tried. Lucy grumbled something inaudible, but didn't push the subject any further.

"Anyway, what brought you back to us, Lucy?" Cana asked, leaning forward with her bright pink cheeks.

"Uh… that was actually mostly Gray and Juvia's doing. Oh, and, Lyon helped a little too," Lucy admitted, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"... Gray?" everyone seemed to say, turning to the man with eyes that drilled holes into his cheeks.

"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!" Erza shouted, leaning closer to Gray. "ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY OUT OF YOUR MIND, GRAY FULLBUSTER? WHY DIDN'T YOU INFORM US OF THIS SOONER?!"

"Gray knew?" Laxus said, his eyes turning dark as he turned to said person.

"Hey! Why aren't any of you yelling at Juvia?" Gray said, looking at everyone with fear in his eyes.

Erza gasped. "YOU DARE TRY AND PUT THE BLAME ON YOUR SWEET, INNOCENT WIFE? JUVIA DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS. YOU AREN'T EVEN ALLOWED TO CALL YOURSELF A MAN, MISTER FULLBUSTER."

Juvia giggled at that. Lucy snorted in laughter, before she and Juvia bursted in their sounds of mirth.

Gray shot them both terrible glares, before catching the eye of the red-head and instantly quieting down.

"U-uh… s-sorry, Ma'am," he muttered, sipping his drink.

Lucy laughed again. "It's alright, Erza. Honestly, Gray and Juvia didn't know that they were going to run into me of all people during their vacation to Lyon's," she explained.

"Yes, Juvia and Gray-sama were at Lyon-sama's house when Lucy-san came in through the door! That was quite the shock for Juvia!" Juvia added.

Erza raised her eyebrow. "Really, now? Well, why didn't Gray think to call one of us, and let us know?"

"Uh… Lucy didn't seem very keen on opening herself to the rest of us just yet," Gray said, trying to earn himself back. "I was just respecting the woman's privacy."

"Very good," Erza nodded.

"I think we all need a good explanation," Gajeel muttered. "Something about that one just ain't seeming right."

Lucy smiled. "It turns out, that my daughter had wrecked the restaurant I used to work in, so I was looking for work when I reunited with Gray and Juvia. They told me there was an opening at _Fairy Tail_ , so I came here to have an interview with the owner."

Everyone stopped.

Their eyes turned to Lucy.

Their jaw's dropped to the ground.

Everyone was speechless at the blonde's words.

"Uh… what? Did I… say something wrong?" Lucy asked.

Lisanna was the first to speak. "Lucy… you do know who the owner is, right?" she asked. Lucy gave her a curious expression.

"No. Gray and Juvia wouldn't tell me," she said.

Mira leaned her head back. "No way. She doesn't know…"

"What? What don't I know?" Lucy asked nervously. She was beginning to get the chills from everyone.

Gray decided to step in. "Calm down, everyone. I told her it would be better if she met him for herself. No big deal."

"Honestly, I think we're all dodging the real big deal here," Jellal stepped in. "Did everyone really fail to notice what was in the first part of Lucy's speech just now?"

Erza's eyes widened in realization. "You're right, Jellal… oh my God." She turned to Lucy. "You… have a daughter?"

Cana dropped her glass.

Everyone turned to Lucy again with shocked expressions.

"Hey, everyone!" a new voice chimed in, startling everyone out of their seats.

Lucy gasped, turning to see who it was.

She could recognize that voice anywhere.

Right there. A young girl… no, she wasn't young anymore. She looked like she was in her early twenty's now. She had long flowing blue hair, and she was wearing a small amount of makeup.

"WENDY?!" Lucy screeched, getting out of her seat to go hug the bluenette.

Wendy's eyes widened as she looked at the blonde walking up to her. Tears formed around her eyes as the biggest smile overtook her.

"LUCY!" she yelled, running up to the older woman and clasping her in a tight embrace. "I missed you soooo much!"

Loke raised his eyebrows at the scene. "Wendy, you don't seem as surprised as the rest of us," he said.

Wendy smiled. "Well, yes. That's because I already knew Lucy was here. I was just waiting to see her, that's all."

"How did you know I was here, Wendy?" Lucy asked, tilting her head.

Wendy giggled, gesturing to something behind her.

It was a crowd of kids, smiling and laughing with each other, holding cones of ice cream in their hands.

And right behind them, a giant man and a beautiful lady.

"I swear, I am never babysitting again," Evergreen said, peeling off a child from her leg. "You should be grateful Wendy came by when she did, Elf!"

"But taking care of babies is so totally MANLY!" Elfman said.

"Whatever," Evergreen said, before turning to the shocked crowd. "Hey, everyone! Sorry we're so la- Wait, LUCY?!"

Lucy laughed nervously.

"Uh, hi?"

Evergreen ran up to her. "Awesome! I mean, I already knew you were, of course, but seeing you in the flesh really brings back memories!"

"How did you guys know already?" Mira asked, walking up to everyone.

Wendy smiled. "Well, because of Nashi, of course!"

"Huh?"

"Who's Nashi?"

"I've never heard of her before, that's for sure."

"How old? More importantly, how _hot_?"

"Loke!"

Lucy sighed, looking to Gray and Juvia for support. The two of them gave her a thumbs up, signaling her to give everyone else an explanation.

"Mommy!" Nashi exclaimed, running out from the crowd of small children. "You'll never guess what!"

Lucy smiled, picking up her daughter as everyone watched her in awe.

"Oh yeah? What happened, darling?" she asked.

"Sylvia convinced Aunty Evergreen and Uncle Elfman to get us ice cream! Then that really pretty lady with blue hair came with lots of candy!" Nashi squealed, showing her mother her haul of sweets.

"Oh dear. Remember, don't eat too many at once," Lucy lectured.

Nashi nodded. "Okay, Mommy!"

"Uh… Lucy? Who's this little angel?" Mira asked, coming over to the duo. She looked at Nashi, and then at her hair. Mira gave Lucy a suggestive look.

"I… um… okay, I guess I'm doing this," Lucy sighed, turning to everyone at the table. "Everyone, meet Nashi Heartfilia. My nine-year-old daughter."

Lucy gulped as everyone took the news in. Everyone gasped.

"She's so cuuuuute!" Mira said, pinching Nashi's cheeks.

"Her hair is pink," Gajeel muttered quietly.

"Sweet Mavis, Lucy! She's quite beautiful," Erza complimented.

"Her hair is pink," Gajeel grumbled under his breath.

"Nashi, huh? She'll grow up to be a fine drinker one day, Lucy," Cana commented.

"Her hair is pink," Gajeel said quietly.

"She is quite stunning," Jellal said with a smile.

"Her hair is pink," Gajeel said again.

"Lu-chan! So this is-"

"HER HAIR IS PINK, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Gajeel yelled, interrupting his fiancé mid-speech.

Laxus blinked. "Yes, we know. So what?"

"ARE YOU ALL REALLY THIS IDIOTIC? WHO ELSE DO WE KNOW THAT HAS _PINK HAIR_?!"

Lucy looked away. Levy came up to her, clasping her hand around her best friend's for support.

"Mommy? What are they talking about?" Nashi asked curiously, getting down from her mother's arms.

"Nothing, Sweetie. Go play with Storm and Sylvia while Mommy talks to her friends," Lucy muttered, pushing her daughter slightly towards the other kids.

She'd get to know them later, for now, she had another matter to attend to.

"Yes, Gajeel. Nashi's hair is pink. Her father is indeed Natsu Dragneel," Lucy said in a low voice. "Do any of you have a problem with that?"

Everyone, including even _Erza_ , stumbled back in shock and fear.

"B-but… Natsu and you…" Loke stuttered, trying to process the information.

Lucy nodded. "The reason I left was because I was pregnant with Natsu's child."

Everyone looked at the frail figure of the blonde in shock. They were never expecting this. Never.

"I… I… I don't know what to say," Mira said softly.

"Pregnant… Natsu… baby…" Lisanna muttered.

"You and Natsu… sex before marriage… disgraceful," Erza mumbled, crossing her arms as her face turned bright red.

Lucy coughed. "Well, I better get going to the owner of this restaurant's office. I have to meet with him for the interview," she said quietly, not bothering for any further explanations.

Everyone shot glances at one another.

"Uh… Lucy… when you go in there, please don't pass out," Cana said.

"Is Lucy ready for this?" Wendy whispered to Juvia.

Lucy didn't hear any of their warnings, she gestured for Gray to come with her, leaving everyone else shocked speechless at the table.

"Lucy, they're right. Be careful in there," Gray said, going through the back door and leading her to a deserted hallway.

"I will," Lucy said, rubbing her arms. "I really didn't think they'd react like… that."

Gray shrugged. "You know how they are."

"Yeah, I do."

"Oh well, if you need anything, I'll be waiting right outside," Gray promised, taking her hand and squeezing it for reassurance.

Lucy smiled at that. "Thank you, Gray. For everything," she said quietly, before enveloping him into a friendly hug.

"Of course," Gray said, returning the hug and gesturing to the door to the owner's office. "Good luck in there."

Lucy took a deep breath, reaching for the door handle.

"Thank you," she said quietly, before opening the door and slipping inside.

Lucy quickly turned around, not bothering to look at the owner just yet. Once her back was facing him, she quietly shut the door and took a deep breath.

She could do this.

All she had to do was make this man hire her, and she would get to live in Magnolia again with all her old friends.

She had to do this, no matter how much it pained her.

Not only for herself, but also for her daughter. Nashi needed to be around people she could wholeheartedly trust.

Lucy turned around, opening her eyes at the last second and staring at the man in front of her.

Her jaw dropped as she instantly recognized him.

He looked so different. His pink hair was still as unnatural and spiky as ever, but he was wearing much too formal clothes.

Why was this happening to her?

Why _now_?

Natsu Dragneel stared at her with shock written on his face. Lucy could feel the bile rising to her throat, and the tears that threatened to escape.

No.

She couldn't let her guard down like this. She had to be strong. She had to work past this… minor setback.

She _had_ to get this job.

Lucy cleared her throat, taking a deep breath and mentally wishing herself good luck.

"Good afternoon, Sir. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I am here regarding the job request a close acquaintance of ours informed me about," she said in the most confident, clear voice she could muster. "I will do my best to make you proud of the excellent restaurant you have established."

Lucy saw Natsu's face shift, understanding written in his eyes. He coughed, before getting up and sticking out his right hand. Lucy took it, giving it a firm shake.

"Hello, Ms. Heartfilia. My name's Natsu. A pleasure to make your… acquaintance."

Lucy breathed slowly, her heart rate getting increasingly faster.

What had she gotten herself into?


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: (I forgot to say this last chapter, but Happy New Year)! Anyway, I won't be updating as often from now on, because school started again and stuff. Still, I'll try to fit in at least one chapter a week, if not more!**

 **Thanks for all the love in the reviews, by the way! Those really brightened my day and helped me write.**

* * *

Why now?

Why was this happening to him?

Natsu was sitting at his desk, looking through the order forms for the new shipments coming in later this week, when someone opened the door and quickly turned around.

It was a blonde woman, wearing something that he easily recognized.

It was the same outfit that Lucy had been wearing at the train station earlier the same day.

He didn't know what to say. Either the woman and Lucy shared the exact same taste in clothes, or-

She turned around to look at him.

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared into the face of his old lover.

It was _Lucy_.

 _His_ Lucy.

He saw Lucy's shocked expression, her slacked jaw and her teary eyes. What was he going to do? Was Lucy the person who came by for the job interview?

Natsu saw Lucy clear her throat and take a breath.

"Good afternoon, Sir. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I am here regarding the job request a close acquaintance of ours informed me about. I will do my best to make you proud of the excellent restaurant you have established."

Natsu gulped. He wasn't liking where this was going already.

He looked into her eyes, seeing the determination sparkle. She wanted to get this job. Something told him she almost _had_ to take it.

He wouldn't let her down.

Natsu got up, holding out a hand for her to shake. She took it when he started to speak.

"Hello, Ms. Heartfilia. My name's Natsu. A pleasure to make your… acquaintance."

Natsu cringed internally. What was he doing? This was nothing like he would normally act.

But… Lucy seemed pleased with his answer. Like she didn't want to talk, but she had to for the sake of work.

"Good. May I sit down?" Lucy asked, averting her gaze.

"Yeah," Natsu replied, sitting down behind the desk. Lucy nodded, taking her seat and playing with her fingers. "May I see your resume?"

"Oh yes, of course," Lucy said, taking out papers from her bag. "These have all my credentials, along with my familial information."

Natsu didn't know what was going on. He knew Lucy was a strong person… but, this was a little too much. Why wasn't she screaming at him? Why wasn't she beating him for what he did all those years ago?

Did she know it was all a mistake?

Natsu sighed, not wanting to think about it any longer. He flipped through the documents she handed him, scanning the text on each one.

"You've worked as a waitress all your life?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at her.

Lucy nodded. "That's right. For all my working career."

"How did you lose your last job? It says here that you had been fired, but it ain't sayin' why," Natsu said, setting the papers down to look at her.

She was beautiful.

Natsu saw Lucy visibly gulp.

"My… daughter. She has a knack for breaking things, and I had no choice but to bring her in one time. Please overlook this though. I will not let it happen again," Lucy decided on saying.

So Natsu was right. Lucy did have a daughter.

"Can I ask more about this daughter of yours?" he asked, leaning forward.

"Y-you may…" Lucy said nervously.

"At what age did you have her?"

"I… I was nineteen."

"Who's the father?" Natsu asked bluntly.

Lucy shook her head. "I'm sorry, but does this have anything to do with my work ethic? Will the fact about her father make any difference?"

"No, but…"

"Then I'd prefer to keep that part private to myself."

Natsu knew Lucy was at her breaking point by now, but… why? He quickly flipped through the papers again, before remembering something.

"I ain't getting it," he started, looking up to where Lucy was. "I thought ya' wanted to become an author."

Lucy clenched her eyes shut. "Well, a single mother can't really make a steady income from writing books, can she?" she hissed.

Natsu's eyes widened at her sudden outburst.

"I… sorry," he said quietly, setting her information down and leaning back in his seat.

Lucy kept quiet.

What Natsu didn't know was that Lucy _was_ an author.

She had been writing under a pseudonym for a while now, 'Layla Heart'.

It was in honor of her late mother, of course.

Lucy had published two books, both tragic romances. She had worked extremely hard on them, all while keeping her job at the restaurant she used to work at.

"Ten years," Natsu said suddenly, looking her back in the eyes. "You've been gone for ten years, and when you see me, you act like _this_."

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

" _Yes_ , you did. You left me."

Natsu didn't know how to go about this. He was hurt, and confused.

Lucy seemed to see this. "You left me first," she whispered in the quietest voice she could muster.

Natsu's jaw dropped. So she did remember.

"No! You don't understand! You left too quickly when I wanted to explain that day, and-"

"Please shut your mouth," Lucy interrupted. "I don't have any intention of speaking to you after this."

"Luce…" Natsu tried, his vision blinded with discomfort.

"And also, please refrain from addressing me in that manner. I do not know you, and you definitely don't know me. We're complete strangers," Lucy continued.

Natsu coughed, unsure what to say. "But I don't wanna be strangers with you, Lucy. We were…"

"I don't care," Lucy said blindly. "If you want to hire me, I'd be pleased to work with you. If you don't, I'll leave right away, out of town."

"Who… who told you about this job?" Natsu asked.

"Hm. Juvia Fullbuster. Her husband, Gray, persuaded me to take it," Lucy answered curtly.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard…" Natsu mumbled under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Lucy asked.

"Nah."

"Mm. Whatever. I'm leaving. You obviously have no intention of making me a work here. I won't bother you again," Lucy said, getting up to leave.

Natsu quickly shook his head. "N-no! That's not what I said! I'll hire you!" he said.

Lucy turned around, looking at him dead in the eye.

"Under one condition," Natsu continued, a smirk overtaking his lips.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "What kind of condition?" she asked.

"I'll hire you, only if you write a book for me on the side," Natsu said, crossing his arms.

Lucy looked awestricken. Now that he was her boss, she couldn't say no. She needed the job.

Besides, she had written books before. What harm could one more do?

"I… I accept your conditions," Lucy said quietly, quickly turning around and fleeing out of the room.

Natsu sighed, sitting back in his seat and closing his eyes.

He knew he would be getting no sleep tonight.

…

Lucy closed the door to Natsu's office behind her, leaning against the door, looking at Gray straight in the eyes.

"I…" she said, trying to form words. Tears began to blur her vision.

Gray came up to her as she sank to her knees. He gently enveloped her into his arms as the tears started to fall.

"I'm sorry," Gray said quietly. "I should have told you."

"You damn right should have told me!" Lucy screeched. "Do you know how hard that was for me?"

 _Slap._

Gray certainly wasn't expecting it when it came. Lucy had raised her hand and smacked him right on his cheek with no warning.

She panted heavily, looking at the floor with a fire in her eyes.

"I-I… I'm s-sorry," Gray muttered, looking at the blonde sorrowfully. "I'm so sorry."

Lucy didn't answer, all she did was hug her knees to her chest and sniff slightly. She sighed, getting up and wiping her tears.

"Tell anyone about me crying, and you'll be dead," she said in a low voice, turning on her heel and walking away.

Gray cringed as she disappeared from his sight. He deserved that. He knew it.

But did Lucy deserve all of this?

…

"Listen, Lucy," Lisanna started, flicking at her glass to grab everyone at the table's attention. Lucy looked up curiously.

"Yeah?"

"We were thinking about getting together later tonight at Mira's house to talk. Everyone. Including… Natsu," Lisanna said, looking at her with hopeful eyes. "I'd really like it if you could come."

Lucy bit her lip, looking at everyone else.

"I don't know…" she said quietly.

"You'd get to meet the kids," Mira said with a shrug. Lucy's eyes instantly brightened.

"The kids? You mean, all of your children?!" she gasped, her eyes lighting up happily. Everyone laughed, nodding.

"Yeah, it'll be fun," Loke said, bumping her shoulder.

Lucy smiled, nodding. "Sure. I'll come. I mean, I have to get used to having Natsu around now, I guess."

"Speaking of Natsu," Erza cut in, "when are you going to tell him about Nashi?"

"I was wondering if never was an option?" Lucy said.

"You know it isn't," Erza said sternly.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I… I don't know, honestly. But I don't want to tell him just yet, if that's alright with everyone."

"It's okay with us," Jellal said.

"We don't mind. We won't tell," Laxus said, taking Mira's hand and getting up. "Anyway, we better get going to prepare for the get together tonight. How does six o'clock sound?"

"Perfect," everyone agreed.

Lucy sighed, getting out of her seat and shooting everyone a wave.

"I'll be off now. See you all in a half hour," she said, before turning on her heel, grabbing her daughter's hand unexpectedly from the table to their right, and running out of the restaurant.

"That girl's a mess," Cana decided, making everyone nod in agreement.

"But I'm happy she's back," Wendy said with a smile.

"You said it," Gray said with a frown. Memories of Lucy's hand slapping his face still remained.

"Speaking of, you've been acting a little weird, Gray," Levy said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Did things with Lucy go alright after the interview?"

Gray nodded, rubbing his cheek.

"It went fine, I guess," he said with a casual shrug, taking Juvia by her waist and pecking her cheek.

Juvia flushed. "G-Gray-sama!" she squealed, leaning into his touch, "y-you aren't usually this bold with Juvia in public!"

Gray scoffed, shooing everyone else away and leading her away.

"I have to talk to you about Lucy," he said in a low voice, gesturing for Storm and Sylvia to come to them.

Juvia sighed, nodding. "Juvia knows. Juvia always knows."

…

Lucy anxiously bit her lip, looking at the clock. She had arrived fairly quickly at Mira and Laxus' house with Nashi, and she watched people piling in.

Her eyes looked only for one person.

Natsu still had yet to arrive.

"Natsu just texted me that he'd be a little late," Gray said, seating himself next to Lucy and showing her the text.

Lucy huffed, still angry with him, but nodded.

"Whatever."

Gray shot her an apologetic look. "Look, Lucy, I said I'm sorry, and I-"

"It's fine, Gray," Lucy said quickly. "It wasn't your fault."

Gray frowned, but didn't say anything else.

"Alright, we might as well start with some icebreakers!" Mira gushed, looking at the children.

Everyone snickered. It was just like Mira to be so childish in this kind of situation.

"Icebreakers?" Nashi asked curiously. "What're those?"

Mira smiled. "Little games we play to get to know each other, Nashi! Would you like to start?"

Nashi grinned. "Okay! I wanna start!" she exclaimed, before sobering down. "Uh… what do I do?"

Lucy chuckled, giving her daughter a peck on her cheek. "Nothing, Sweetie. Just introduce yourself," she said.

"Why don't we all seat ourselves in a circle?" Jellal offered, sitting next to his wife and taking her hand.

Everyone nodded, seeming to agree with that plan.

Once they were all settled, all eyes turned to Nashi.

"Oh! Are we starting?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, Sweetie. Just tell us your name and a few things about yourself," Lucy said.

Nashi nodded. "Okay, Mommy! So, uh… my name's Nashi Heartfilia. My mom's name is Lucy. She's the really pretty person who's sitting right next to me!" she started, looking at Lucy with a giant grin.

Everyone smiled sweetly at that.

Nashi coughed, before continuing, "My favorite color is red. My birthday is August sixteenth, and I am nine years old! Almost ten!"

Everyone clapped their hands in approval.

"Very good. Jay? Why don't you continue?" Erza asked, nudging a boy with dark blue hair sitting besides her.

"Yes, Mother. My name is Jay Fernandes. I am seven years old. My parents are Erza and Jellal. Uh… Mother, what do I say next?" the boy said, turning to the scarlet woman. Erza laughed.

"Anything you want."

"Oh, okay! My favorite book is _Aero Love_ by Layla Heart!"

Lucy froze. That was _her_ book. The book she had written a few years ago. Erza's son was a fan of hers?

That warmed Lucy's heart to a level she didn't even think she could reach.

"You're a fan of romance novels, Jay?" she decided on asking. Jay nodded feverishly.

"Yeah! Have you read _Aero Love_ , Aunty Lucy?" he asked.

Lucy laughed. Oh if only he knew…

"Yes, I have actually! And for a seven-year-old to read it… wow. Your son is really something special, Erza, Jellal," she said, giving the couple a wide smile.

They returned it, before another boy with light blue hair spoke up.

"Whatever, Jay. That isn't _that_ impressive," he scoffed. "Anyway, my name is Velza, but people call me Vee if they wanna. I'm six and I hate reading."

The boy finished his short speech by crossing his arms.

"Shut up, Vee! It was my turn!" Jay yelled, giving his younger brother a glare.

"Whateverrrr," Velza droned.

Erza facepalmed. "Please excuse my son's rudeness," she said softly, pinching Velza's ears.

"Ouch! Mom! That hurt!" he said.

Erza sighed. "And this is my youngest son, Eugene," she said, picking up a small boy who was currently sleeping. She smiled at his figure. "He just turned a year old a few weeks ago."

Eugene was adorable. He had a tuft of scarlet hair, exactly like his mother's.

"He's beautiful, Erza," Lucy breathed out.

"Is it my turn yet?" an impatient voice cried out. Everyone looked at a small girl with beautiful white locks.

"Go ahead, Greenie," Evergreen said, smiling at the girl.

"Okay, Mama. My name is Grenella. Greenie for short. I am four years old, and I will one day be the most beautiful girl in all of Fiore!" Greenie said.

"Just like her mother…" Loke whispered softly. Lucy laughed at that.

"Oh yeah, Greenie! Being beautiful is so totally MANLY!" Elfman said happily, taking his daughter into his arms and tossing her around.

"Anyway, my name is Lester. I'm eleven years old. Son to Mirajane and Laxus Dreyer. All that jazz," a tall blonde boy said. "Greenie's my cousin, Aunt Lucy. I know what I go through."

Lucy giggled. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Lester!" She then turned to Mira, winking and saying in a whisper, "He's going to be one hell of a heartbreaker in his high school years."

Mira laughed. "You said it, Lucy."

"My name's Storm Fullbuster! The awesome son of my parents, Gray and Juvia!" Storm said happily, smirking at Nashi. "Take that, Pink Eyes! I just did an amazing introduction, unlike _someone_ in this room."

"Is he talking about me, Daddy?" Greenie asked Elfman with big eyes.

"No I don't think so, Greenie. You're too MANLY for that!" Elfman responded with a wink.

Nashi, however, wasn't amused.

"Oh please, Water Freak! You didn't go first did you? Oh wait, why did I ask? You're too cowardly for something like that!" she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

Storm gasped. "Oi! You're rude!"

"Break it up, you two," Gray cut in, shaking his head at both of them.

"Yes, Dad."

"Yes, Uncle Gray."

"My name is Sylvia," Sylvia said suddenly. "I'm five, and I love ice!"

Everyone laughed.

"We know, Sylv," Storm said, rolling his eyes.

"It's still a good option to remind everyone!" Sylvia retorted.

Nashi nodded, taking Sylvia's hand.

"Listen to your sister, Storm!" she said with a smirk.

"Don't use my sister as an advantage!"

"Sylvia would be pleased to be an advantage for Nashi," Sylvia said, crossing her arms.

"Oi! Don't go all Mom on me!" Storm said.

"Sorry. You know how it is. Sometimes it just slips out," Sylvia said with a shrug.

"Whatever."

"Are we going to have introductions for the adults?" Wendy asked curiously.

Mira was the first to speak. "Sure. If anyone would like to," she said, "I guess I could start. Nothing's really changed for me, except I've become a model for _Sorcerers Magazine_."

"Oh yeah, that's absolutely nothing at all," Lucy said, sarcasm dripping through her voice.

Mira laughed. "Thanks, Lucy."

"I own a cat shelter with my boyfriend," Wendy piped up. "I'm a veterinarian!"

Lucy widened her eyes and quickly turned to stare at the bluenette.

"Wendy has a boyfriend?" she said.

Wendy laughed. "Yeah. A pretty serious one, too."

"I keep thinking of you as our young, sweet, innocent little Wendy. Guess you're not thirteen anymore," Lucy smiled.

"Things _are_ going pretty well with you and Romeo," Cana pointed out, taking a gulp of her drink.

Wendy blushed bright red. "I guess?"

"Don't be surprised if he pops the question sometime soon," Cana said with a wink.

Wendy gasped, quickly shaking her head. She didn't say anything after that.

"Anyway, I'm a medieval historian now. I research different types of ancient armor and put tests on them," Erza said.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Wow."

"I'm a planetarian. I research the sky and our solar system," Jellal said.

"I'm an editor!" Levy said.

"An editor? For novels?" Lucy asked, her interest suddenly spiked.

"Yep! Remember how I used to tell you that I can't write for my life? Well, that still applies!" Levy explained. "Instead, I now read novels and edit them to perfection for all authors out there!"

"Would you mind… maybe… looking at something of mine, then?" Lucy asked shyly.

Levy gasped.

"Are you a novelist?"

Lucy blushed, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully.

"Kind of?"

Everyone exploded.

"Bunny girl writes books?" Gajeel asked. "How come I've never seen any of 'em?"

"I write under a pseudonym," Lucy explained.

"Would it happen to be… _Layla Heart_?" Levy asked with a smirk.

Lucy laughed nervously. "How did you know."

"Easy. Layla was your mother's name, and Heart is part of your last name! Honestly, I don't know why everyone else hasn't figured it out," Levy said. "Besides, I know your writing style by heart! It wasn't that difficult."

"WAIT!" Jay yelled. "AUNT LUCY IS MY FAVORITE AUTHOR?!"

Lucy chuckled. "I'm your favorite? Wow, that's awesome! Thank you, Jay!"

Jay instantly ran up to her, tears in his eyes.

"This is so great! My favorite author is my mother's childhood friend! Aunt Lucy! You're amazing! Incredible! Awesome! Terrific! Magical!"

"We get it, move on," Velza grumbled.

"Oh shut up, Vee."

"Of course I've read _Aero Love_ and _Do Fairies Have Tails_! They're both so good!" Levy gushed, wrapping her arms around her best friend. "You're so talented, Lu-chan!"

Lucy blushed. "Levy-channn, you're embarrassing me!"

"Good!" Levy laughed.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a tired looking man with pink spiky hair. He rubbed his eyes and shot everyone a lazy grin.

"Yo, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly tensed. Everyone went dead silent. They all looked towards Lucy with nervous expressions.

This was not, however, what happened with the kids.

"Uncle Natsu!" all of them, except Nashi, exclaimed. They all ran up to him, hugging him with great force.

Natsu stumbled back, but grinned.

"Hey, kids! I brought food!" he exclaimed.

"Yay! Uncle Natsu's food is the best!" Velza exclaimed. Jay nodded.

"For once I'm going to agree with my idiot of a brother," he said with a smile.

Nashi curiously walked up to Natsu. Innocence burning in her features.

Everyone sucked in a breath once they saw her touch his leg. Lucy's eyes widened. Nashi was finally meeting her father.

"Hello. My name's Nashi!" Nashi said happily. "My new friends have told me a lot about you, Natsu!"

Lucy let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, both her daughter and her daughter's dad were both extremely dense when it came to stuff like this. Thank Mavis.

Natsu, however, looked as if he knew something.

"Oh, hey. I'm Natsu," he said, bending down to the girl's level. Brown eyes met black. "Say, you remind me of a friend of mine."

Gray instantly groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said loud enough for Natsu to hear.

Natsu wheeled around in his direction.

"You wanna go, dumbass?"

"Yeah in fact, I do wanna go!"

"I have some unsettled business with you, Loser," Natsu said in a low voice, stalking up to him.

Gray smirked, throwing his shirt off and meeting his rival in a fist connection.

"I'd be honored to see what that business it. Through a fight that I'll be winning," he said.

Natsu clenched his teeth in anger, before noticing the person sitting besides Gray. He instantly let go, his mouth dropping open in shock as he looked into the eyes of the unsuspecting blonde.

"Oiiii, no one told me Lucy was gonna be here!" he whined, crossing his arms and pouting.

Lucy frowned. "Well it was the opposite for me."

"You knew I was gonna be here?" Natsu asked. "Why'd ya come, then?"

"Well, why wouldn't I come?"

"I thought you'd think it'd be inappropriate for you to be hangin' out with your boss or somethin."

"Excuse me? How dare you think so low of me?"

"Oi oi, no hard feelings? It was just my honest opinion."

"And I value it, I suppose."

"Pshh."

"Whatever."

The room went into a deadly silence.

Everyone stared in shock at the exchange that just occurred between Natsu and Lucy.

They were acting so… hostile towards each other.

To be fair, Natsu was probably just confused.

"Annnyway," Loke said, breaking the silence. "Did you bring any snacks for us, Natsu?"

Natsu nodded, taking out his bag and setting it on the ground. "I convinced the chefs to lend me the leftovers."

"I'd hardly say they _lent_ it to you. More like they _gave_ it to you," Lucy cut in with a scoff. Natsu cringed at her grammar correction.

"Uh… alright. I convinced the chefs to _give_ me the leftovers," he said quietly.

No one uttered a single word for a while after that.

Lucy breathed heavily, looking towards Natsu as he played with Greenie, tickling her and laughing along with her.

Was she being a little too hard on him? She didn't _want_ to act like this, but it didn't seem like she had a choice.

Lucy sighed.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **I'd get used to cliffhangers if I were you. I'm kind of known for them. XDD**

 **Anyway, I thought it'd be helpful to put in ages at this point of some of the characters to help navigate the story better:**

 **Natsu: 29**

 **Lucy: 29**

 **Gray: 28**

 **Juvia: 28**

 **Jellal: 30**

 **Erza: 29**

 **Gajeel: 29**

 **Levy: 28**

 **Mira: 33**

 **Laxus: 35**

 **Loke: 28**

 **Cana: 29**

 **Elfman: 31**

 **Evergreen: 31**

 **Wendy: 23**

 **Romeo: 24**

 **Lisanna: 28**

 **The kids' ages were already in the chapter. .**

 **Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: Is it bad that I wrote most of this in math class? Ah well, please excuse typos that are in this chapter. XD Typing on my phone while practicing geometry formulas** _ **and**_ **(trying) to hide my phone from the teacher definitely was not easy.**

 **Okay I'm just spouting gibberish now. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Hey, uh, Lucy? Could you help me in getting the snacks?" Lisanna asked a little while later. The adults had just put the kids to bed, and now everyone was sitting around for a chat.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Lisanna got out of her seat, followed quickly by Lucy, and the two made their way outside the living room and into the kitchen.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what they're going to talk about," Gajeel muttered.

Levy sighed, nodding towards her fiancé. "You know it needs to be done. Lucy has to know."

Lisanna closed the door once she and Lucy entered the tiled room. Lucy went to the cabinets, looking for something sweet to munch on.

"So, does the group have any specific preferences when it comes to food?" Lucy asked, not trusting her own judgement of the matter.

"Just take whatever," Lisanna said with a shrug.

"Alright."

"Listen, Lucy," Lisanna started again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about something."

Lucy looked over at the white-haired girl curiously. "Yeah? Go ahead."

Lucy couldn't resent her, no matter how much she tried. Lucy thought that it was all Natsu's fault, and that maybe Lisanna was in the right for the incident that happened all those years ago.

Lucy couldn't blame Lisanna for something she thought she didn't even do. It wouldn't be fair on the woman.

Lucy saw Lisanna take another breath.

"What happened between Natsu and me… I wanted you to know that-"

"It's fine, Lisanna," Lucy cut her off with an uneasy look. "I don't blame you for what Natsu did."

Lisanna shook her head. "No, you don't understand. Natsu never cheated on you."

"Yes he did. He was kissing you." Lucy frowned.

"Actually, he wasn't kissing me. _I_ was kissing _him_."

Lucy froze.

"What are you talking about?" she asked quietly. Lisanna bit her lip, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"I had approached Natsu that day when I knew you were going to come later. I cornered him. I kissed him. Natsu didn't do anything."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that. Did Natsu put you up to this?" she asked.

"No, not at all…"

"Hm."

"Lucy, I'm so sorry," Lisanna said quickly. "I didn't know about Nashi, I swear. If I had known… sweet Mavis Lucy, I'm so very sorry. Words can't express…"

"I refuse to believe it," Lucy whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I… I don't believe it. You're making this up!"

"But I'm not," Lisanna kept saying, "and I'm sorry."

"You already said that," Lucy said quietly.

"It's true. I'm sorry. I was just so jealous that you got together with the boy I had a crush on for practically my entire life. I didn't know what else to do! I thought that if I made it seem as if Natsu was cheating on you, I'd have a chance with him!"

Lucy let out a low laugh.

Lisanna took a step back, clearly surprised by the action.

"Why… why are you laughing?" she asked slowly.

"If I remember correctly," Lucy started, "I walked in on Natsu pinning _you_ on the wall. I walked in on him kissing _you._ I don't know what you classify as cheating, but in my book, that's a red flag right there."

Lisanna stopped, unsure what to say.

"Lucy… I-"

"Stop. You've said enough already," Lucy cut in harshly. "I am still not blaming you. I want to hear it come out from Natsu's mouth before jumping to any conclusions."

Lisanna gulped. "Lucy. I don't know what to do anymore," she said, "that night, I had not only damaged the relationship between you and your boyfriend, I had also damaged the relationship between Natsu and his girlfriend."

Lucy looked up with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she decided on asking.

"Natsu loved you so much, Lucy. And if I know him as well as I do, I'm pretty sure he never stopped."

"Impossible."

"Please believe me. You must believe me."

"No. I refuse."

"Lucy!" Lisanna screeched, stepping forwards and grabbing she blonde's shoulder blades. "Don't you understand?! Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? You're hurting! Let me help you!"

"I don't need your help!" Lucy replied, shaking. "I don't need your sympathy, Lisanna. I don't need you to go and cover up for a mistake my ex-boyfriend made!"

"It _was_ a mistake! All of this was a mistake!" Lisanna yelled.

"Yes! And so was Nashi!"

Lucy sputtered, not knowing why those words left her mouth. After all these years, she refused to acknowledge her daughter as a mistake. It was much too painful for her, and she knew it was unfair on the little girl.

"Lucy… Nashi was never a mistake. Her mother loved her father, and her father loved her mother. By saying Nashi was a mistake, you're saying you and Natsu were a mistake."

"Natsu and I were a mistake! I know that! We should never have gone out together. That was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made in my lifetime," Lucy breathed. "If I hadn't accepted his invitation to be his girlfriend that night, none of this would have ever happened. Natsu and I might have still been close friends after all these years. You and Natsu would have a happy relationship together without me interfering. We all could have had a nice, peaceful life!"

"Lucy, you're rambling," Lisanna cut in. "And what you're saying isn't true at all. I know you, and I know Natsu. You two are a match made in heaven, and you know that."

Lucy shook her head. "I'm sorry, but this conversation is over."

"Lucy, you're making a mistake! I just wanted to-"

"And I thank you, Lisanna. For all of this. I really, truly, needed this conversation. Still, I won't blame you for anything until Natsu tells me what happened ten years ago himself," Lucy said.

Lisanna sighed, knowing she would never win this argument. "If that is what you wish."

Lucy nodded. "Thank you."

"And Lucy? I'm sorry. You can't make me stop feeling all this guilt. I tried acting normal throughout the evening today, but I knew I couldn't. It's only been a day since you've been back, and I'm already ruining everything for you. I'm sorry."

Lucy bit her lip, looking back at the woman in front of her. Lisanna had tears in her eyes and she was wearing a guilty expression. Lucy didn't know what to do.

"You haven't ruined anything for me," Lucy whispered softly. "I already have ruined everything for myself."

"You're a good person, Lucy. Don't forget that," Lisanna said.

"And you're even better. I'd like to be your friend from now on," Lucy said, sticking out her hand.

Lisanna gaped at her. "B-but… how?! How can you forgive me so easily?!" she stuttered.

Lucy let out a quiet laugh. She smiled softly.

"Don't worry. I haven't forgiven you for anything just yet, but before I do anything else about this, I'd like to speak to Natsu."

Lisanna nodded. "Okay. Thank you," she said, taking her hand.

The two girls smiled painfully at each other. Both knew that the future was dull and grey, and not a single ray of light was going to show up anytime soon.

Maybe for Lucy, there would be an exception.

…

Once Lucy and Lisanna returned to their seats, Mira turned to the adults once again.

"Now that Lisanna and Lucy are back, why don't we do a more sophisticated version of icebreakers? Just for Lucy to get to know us more, of course," she said.

Lucy smiled. "Sounds great. How should we do this?" she asked.

"Easy. Everyone goes around and states their occupation! Not too hard, right?" Mira said.

Everyone nodded, content with the plan.

"Great. I'll start. I'm a model for _Sorcerer Weekly_!" Mira said.

"I… I guess I work at _Fairy Tail_ now," Lucy said quietly, avoiding Natsu's gaze.

"I own a cat shelter with Romeo, and work as a vet," Wendy said, smiling at Lucy.

"I'm an ice sculptor," Gray shrugged. "I make some pretty cool things with ice and stuff, you know."

Natsu groaned. "We get it. You're a sculptor. I, on the other hand, work at my own original restaurant!" he stated proudly. " _Fairy Tail_ is number one!"

Gray rolled his eyes.

"As I stated before, I am a medieval historian," Erza cut in, not wanting to start a fight between the two.

"I'm an astronomer," Jellal said.

"Fortune teller. I also work part-time at a liquor tavern," Cana jumped in.

"Light. I study light," Loke said. "I'm taking a few college-level courses still, so I'm not completely stable in my profession yet. Until then, I gamble around and earn enough to pay my tuition."

Lucy whistled. "Impressive."

"Juvia is a marine biologist!" Juvia exclaimed, grabbing randomly onto Gray's shirt.

"I work at Magnolia Zoo. I'm a zookeeper," Lisanna jumped in.

"An editor, like I said before," Levy said with a wink.

"I'm manager at a company that works with metal. We make different products and stuff," Gajeel muttered.

"I own a toy store with Elfman," Evergreen said. "We make the prettiest toys in all of town!"

"TOYS ARE TOTALLY MANLY!" Elfman chimed in.

"I'm a weather reporter," Laxus finished.

Lucy blinked.

"A weather reporter?" she repeated.

"Yeah, haven't you ever seen me on Channel 3?" Laxus asked.

Lucy nodded, not wanting to argue with the huge man.

"Um… I just don't usually watch the news often," she said.

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "My reports aren't on a news channel."

Lucy sweat-dropped, and didn't answer.

"Anyway…." Mira said quietly, cutting into the conversation. "Why don't we do something else."

"Good idea. Let's just talk or something," Erza suggested.

"I actually am pretty tired… where are the bedrooms?" Lucy asked. She definitely didn't want to talk to Natsu anytime soon.

Mira gestured up the stairs. "First door on your right. Everyone's sleeping in there."

"Everyone?" Lucy asked.

"Yep. The room is very big. It can easily fit all of us. There are double beds for the married couples, and a few sleeping bags laid out on the floor."

"I didn't know we were going to sleep over," Natsu cut in.

"We decided that before you came," Levy explained. "Wendy, Cana, Loke, and Lisanna aren't staying though."

"Oh."

Lucy forced herself to yawn. "Well, I'm going to get upstairs and sleep. Goodnight, everyone," she said, getting up and grabbing her slippers.

Natsu quickly followed suit. "Wait, I'm sleepy too. I'm going to bed too," he said, his eyes fixed on the blonde.

Lucy ignored him. She took her things from the floor and made her way to the staircase. She scoffed at him, before making her way up the stairs and into the first room.

Natsu coughed, cringing silently at her actions. He went up after her, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

The first thing he saw was Lucy in a short robe with her hair up in a tight bun.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're becomin' like Gray, bein able to change that quickly."

Lucy didn't answer. She went to the first sleeping bag on the floor and scooted inside.

Natsu bit his lip, going to the corner of the room and taking off his shirt. He usually slept shirtless, but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate for tonight.

"Natsu," Lucy suddenly said, catching his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sleep as far away from me as possible?"

Natsu frowned.

"Fine." He then noticed how many sleeping bags there were. "There are only two bags though. One for me, and one for you, since we're the only ones who are single and are sleeping over."

"Then take your bag and put it away from mine," Lucy said curtly, snuggling into her blanket.

Natsu breathed heavily. "Why can't we just sleep next to each other? What's the point of this?" he asked.

Lucy huffed. "The point of this is- is that a blue cat."

Natsu shuffled around, his eyes darting from around the covers.

"Happy! HAPPY!" he yelled, grabbing the small feline in his hands. "Why'd ya run away like that?"

Lucy frowned. "I didn't know blue cats existed."

Natsu shook his head. "He isn't a natural blue cat. Storm was playing around with water colors one day, and blue paint splashed on Happy."

"Who names their cat Happy?" Lucy asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, when we hatched him, everyone was so happy!"

"You can't hatch a cat," Lucy said bluntly.

"Oh. Whatever. Lisanna decided that the name Happy would be perfect for him," Natsu continued.

Lucy pretended not to care about the obvious use of Lisanna's name in the sentence.

"Of course."

"Yep," Natsu replied, popping the 'p'. "Listen, I don't want things to be awkward between us. Sure, you were my girlfriend at one point, but if we can't go back to that, I want to at least be your friend."

Lucy bit her lip anxiously. "I don't know if I want to be your friend anymore," she said quietly, playing with her fingers under the cover of her sleeping bag.

"Please, Luce?" Natsu asked hopefully, getting under his covers and shooting her a sneaky grin.

Lucy sighed. "You have done nothing to prove you are worth my friendship," she stated hautily. Natsu frowned.

"Fine then. I'll make you a deal," he said. Lucy tilted her head in confusion.

"What kind of deal?"

"If I can befriend Nashi, I get to be your friend again," Natsu said, crossing his arms.

"No way. Absolutely not."

"Oh come onnnnn!" Natsu whined.

Lucy stopped. She knew that if she accepted this deal, she could be putting herself in a lot of danger. Then again, Nashi had to be comfortable around her father… was this really the only way it could happen?

"Okay," she whispered softly. "You have twenty-four hours. If you can make friends with my daughter, I will be your friend."

Natsu grinned. "Awesome!" he exclaimed. "Starting tomorrow, I will work my hardest to get Nashi Heartfilia to like me!"

Lucy sighed, knowing she could not argue with this.

"Alright. But you only have till midnight tomorrow. If you can't do it, I will not, under any circumstances, be your friend."

Natsu winked at her. "Orrr, maybe I can get ya' to like me again!"

Lucy quirked an eyebrow. "Like you? What do you mean by that?" she asked, already dreading his answer.

"I mean, that maybe I can get ya to be my girlfriend again!" Natsu exclaimed with the happiest grin he could muster.

Lucy sucked in a breath. What was he talking about? How could she go back into a relationship with the man who broke her heart?

"Goodnight, Natsu," she said after a few minutes of silence. She turned on her side, facing away from him.

Natsu looked at her. Three strands of her blonde hair were spraying out of her bun. Her neck was a creamy white, and was completely shown because of her hair.

Oh how badly he wanted to kiss it.

He sighed, cuddling with Happy and trying to be content with the view of the back of her head.

He was going to get her as his girlfriend again. He was going to get her to love him again.

He was going to make her his again, no matter how much it hurt her.

Natsu knew that she needed time. He couldn't talk to her about what happened with Lisanna just yet, because he knew she wouldn't listen to anything he said. Not until he earned her trust again, at least.

After he became her friend, he'd tell her everything. Absolutely everything, with no regrets.

The only obstacle in his way now was Lucy's nine-year-old daughter. The little pink-haired girl was in for a real treat tomorrow.

Natsu Dragneel was going to befriend Nashi Heartfilia, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

 **Ooh are y'all ready for some hardcore father/daughter bonding time next chapter? I know I'm definitely ready. XD Anyway, I hope I didn't disappoint with the NaLu in this chapter. Don't worry, you'll be getting a** _ **lot**_ **more as the story progresses.**

 **Also, thank you all so much for one-hundred reviews! That really made me smile. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: I wrote out this chapter in a single night. *Pants heavily* _Aaaanndddd_ now I have to do math homework. **

**What is life.**

* * *

The next morning, Natsu woke up before any of the others. He quietly made his way downstairs into the kitchen, and started rummaging through the cabinets and trying to find something good to eat.

His mission was about to go into action any moment now.

Step one: surprise Nashi with a special breakfast first thing in the morning.

"Hm… what do little girls like to eat?" he mumbled to himself, putting on an apron and getting out a few pastries. He nodded to himself. "Good enough."

He got out a plate and started cutting up vegetables. If this girl was anything like him, she would love a spicy omelet.

Then again, maybe three hot chilli peppers was a little too much. Natsu nodded to himself, throwing in a single pepper and began flipping the pan.

Natsu was an excellent chef, that was for sure. Before he had enough money to hire people to cook for his restaurant, he used to make all the meals himself. He also had to come up with original recipes for the cooks when they were finally hired.

Needless to say, Natsu definitely didn't lack in the breakfast department.

Once the egg was made, (with extra cheese), he flipped it into the plate and kept a few danish pastries that he warmed up on a separate plate. He squeezed oranges into a cup, and added a few key components, mixing everything and ending with the perfect glass of orange juice.

He smiled to himself, before taking a few pieces of frozen fruit and putting it into a small cup.

Was he missing anything? Was there anything else Nashi could possibly want in her morning meal? Should he make a few pancakes just to be sure?

Deciding against it, he set down the plate on the dining table, took of his apron, and made his way up the stairs. He passed the room where all the adults were still sleeping soundly, and quietly entered the room where the kids were resting.

He was surprised to see Nashi already awake and brushing her long pink hair in the mirror.

"An early riser, I see," he teased, coming up from behind her. Nashi looked startled. She quickly turned around to see Natsu standing behind her with a smug smile on his face.

"Oh! Uncle Natsu! Good morning!" she said, getting up and facing him properly.

Natsu laughed. "Please, don't call me _Uncle_. It makes me feel like an old man," he said. "Just Natsu's fine."

"Okay, Natsu," Nashi said. "Why are you up so early?"

"I wanted to surprise you with something, of course," Natsu winked, taking her small hand and leading her outside the room.

Nashi gasped. "Surprise me? With what?" she asked excitedly.

Natsu smiled, holding his hands over her eyes and leading her into the kitchen. "It's a secret," he whispered.

"Hey! You have to tell meee!" Nashi whined.

"Okay okay, but only if you promise not to tell _anyone_ about this," Natsu said, releasing his hands and smiling at the girl's awestruck expression.

"Oh! What's this?" she asked, walking up to the breakfast spread laid out in front of her on the table.

Natsu grinned, picking her up and placing her on the seat. He got into the chair besides her and grinned triumphantly.

"I made you a special breakfast!" he stated proudly. "I don't know if you remember, but I own the restaurant your mom works at!"

"That must mean that this food is really good!" Nashi exclaimed happily, taking a fork and digging into the omelet. "Yummy!"

"Why thank you, young princess," Natsu said, mocking a bow.

"Princess?! I'm not a princess!" Nashi said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Natsu smiled. This girl was much too innocent for her own good. "Okay, then will you be _my_ princess?" he asked softly.

"Your princess? Does that make me the princess of food?" Nashi asked curiously.

Natsu couldn't stop himself from hollering in laughter.

"The princess of food! That's perfect! That must mean I am the king of food, then!" he chuckled.

Nashi nodded furiously. "Yes! You are, Natsu! King Natsu of Food!" she said seriously.

"Well then, I guess that makes me King Natsu of Food, and you are Princess Nashi of Food!"

"Does Mommy get to be a princess, too?" Nashi asked curiously. Natsu smiled softly at that, already knowing the answer in his head.

"Nope. Your mommy doesn't get to be a princess," Natsu said. Nashi frowned.

"That's mean, Natsu," she said, crossing her arms.

"No no, I ain't meaning it like that! What I meant to say was that your mother doesn't get to be a princess, because she gets to be a _queen_."

Nashi clapped her hands. "Oh! That makes sense," she said. "Mommy can be the prettiest queen in all of the land of Food!"

"Yep!" Natsu said with a smile. "Anyway, you should hurry up and finish your food, Nashi. We wouldn't want the evil Prince Storm from Grayland to find all the delicious treats I made for you, would ya?"

Nashi gasped. "Storm is the evil prince? Okay! That actually makes perfect sense, because Storm is very evil," she said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Natsu nodded. "No arguments there. But more for his dad, right?"

"Uncle Gray is really nice, though!" Nashi exclaimed.

Natsu mocked hurt. "You wound me, Princess Nashi of Food, for saying something like that," he teased.

Nashi rolled her eyes. "That suits me just fine, King Natsu."

Natsu couldn't stop the wide smile from forming on his features. This girl was really something else. She managed to make Natsu happy in ways he never thought could be possible. She was able to brighten up his day in mere minutes without even knowing it.

"Um… what is going on in here?" a new voice interrupted them. Natsu and Nashi quickly looked to the entrance of the kitchen, startled to see Lucy standing there wearing baggy shorts and a loose t-shirt.

Natsu wickedly grinned at her, before turning to Nashi.

"Oh no! Looks like we've been found out by Queen Lucy of Food!" Natsu exclaimed, swiftly picking up Nashi's plates and placing them in the sink. He went back to her, hoisting the little girl on his shoulders and having her sit down on him. Nashi grabbed onto Natsu's head and squealed.

"Natsu! Natsu! Put me down!" she insisted, smiling and poking his hair. Natsu laughed.

"No can do, Princess Nashi. You're all mine today," he said, whisking her towards her mother. Natsu grinned. "Why good morning to you too, my queen."

Lucy didn't look amused. "What are you two doing?" she asked roughly. "Get your hands off my daughter!"

"Uh uh uh, Luce. Remember what'cha told me yesterday?" Natsu asked, winking at her.

Realization took over Lucy's face. "You're really serious about this, aren't you."

"Of course. Nashi Heartfilia is going to be my very best friend from now on. Ain't that right, Nash?"

Lucy's eyes widened at the familiar nickname. She quickly turned around to hide the growing smile on her lips.

"Sorry, Luce, ya've been replaced!" Natsu added.

"Natsu Dragneel, you are really something else," she said, shaking her head and going to the cabinets to make herself some coffee.

Natsu and Nashi watched her work, taking out a mug and picking out a simple hazelnut flavor. She whisked it together in the mug and heated it in the coffee maker on the counter. Once she was finished, she took the steaming mug into her hands, grabbed her phone off the counter, and sat down at the table, ignoring the two sets of eyes watching her every move.

"Mommy, when can I get a phone?" Nashi asked. Natsu tried to stop himself from laughing at her question.

"When you're older, Sweetie," Lucy said absentmindedly, tapping away on the screen. "Levy just texted me from upstairs. Everyone's making plans for today, and we should be there. The kids are there too."

Natsu sighed, rolling Nashi off his shoulders and placing her on his hip. He booped her nose, and nodded at Lucy.

"Alright. Let's get going, Princess Nashi!" he exclaimed, walking out of the kitchen.

Lucy stared after his figure, trying to process what had just happened between the three of them.

"So the rumors are true… you really are great with kids."

Once Lucy had entered the first room again, she saw everyone sitting on their respective beds with their children. Natsu had taken the spare and was sitting with Nashi in his lap, which was earning them many amused faces.

Lucy sighed, reluctantly making her way to the bed and sitting at the edge with Natsu and Nashi on the opposite side.

Lucy wasn't _not_ pleased with this. In fact, she was very happy that Nashi and Natsu were getting along so well. Maybe it would ease the shock when they found out that Natsu was in fact Nashi's father.

"I'm telling you, we should go sightseeing today!" Evergreen said. "Lucy should get to see around Magnolia!"

"Lucy used to live in Magnolia, Evergreen. I don't think sightseeing would be the most appropriate use of time for today," Erza said with a frown. "I, on the other hand, think we should show Lucy and Nashi the museum I work at."

"We could go to the planetarium," Jellal suggested, rocking Eugene in his lap. Erza shot her husband a glare.

"We're going to the museum," she said with a deadly tone.

"Hold on, I think we should go to _Sorcerer Weekly_ headquarters!" Mira announced. "Lucy's always wanted to see it, so why not? Anyway, I have to go to work today, so it'll all work out."

"I have to work too," Laxus frowned.

"Same here," Evergreen mumbled.

"Juvia has to go to the Magnolia Aquarium today. They just got a new set of angelfish, and Juvia has to go set them in their preferred habitat," Juvia cut in.

"I have to work on a commission today from a very important client," Gray said. "Oi, Flame Brain, do you have work today?"

Natsu nodded. "I do, but the restaurant doesn't open till eleven. I still have a good four hours till I have to be there," he explained. He then looked over to Lucy. "Today is also Lucy's first day, so I have to be there a little earlier than usual."

"I have to get started on my novel today too," Lucy mumbled.

"I have an editing request that cannot be put off till later," Levy said.

Gajeel grunted. "I just have regular work."

Erza sighed. "Well I guess we can't really do anything fun together today," she muttered. Lucy winced at her disappointed tone.

"When does everyone get off work, then?" Lucy asked.

"I'm available after four," Evergreen said. "So is Elfman."

"I could do four," Gray offered.

"Juvia will be finished at three-thirty," Juvia said.

"I can do three-forty-five," Erza said.

"Four-fifteen sounds good to me," Jellal said.

"I don't have any modelling gigs today. I can be finished at the studio at four," Mira said.

"Broadcast ends at three. I can be wherever at three-thirty," Laxus said.

"I can be finished by four," Levy said, going to her calendar on her phone.

"Whenever is fine," Gajeel said.

"I'm not really sure… Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking at the man sitting a little away from her on the bed.

"I could close early today," Natsu shrugged. "Lucy doesn't really have any big work today that I've planned for her, either."

"Great. How about we all meet up in Magnolia Center at around four-thirty and see where time takes us from there?" Mira suggested. "I'll let Lisanna, Wendy, Loke, Cana, Freed, and Bickslow know about the plan."

"Isn't Lisanna staying the night at Bickslow's apartment?" Natsu asked.

"Why would she do that?" Lucy inquired.

"They're dating," Mira explained hastily. Lucy's eyes widened. She nodded. So Lisanna _did_ have a boyfriend.

"Romeo might tag along with Wendy," Erza said.

"That's fine," Mira said. "The more the merrier!"

Natsu quickly got up, taking Nashi's hand.

"I'm taking Nashi with me to the restaurant today. She doesn't need the sitter today," he said. Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"The sitter?" she asked.

"Yes," Erza said. "Since almost everyone works jobs where kids aren't the most welcome, we have a sitter that takes care of all of them."

"You remember Macao, don't you? Romeo's father," Mira said, looking at Lucy. "He usually offers to look after the kids. His best pal, Wakaba, sometimes helps him out."

"Oh yeah, wasn't he that substitute teacher that usually subbed for English?" Lucy asked, thinking back to her high school years.

Mira nodded. "Yep! That's him," she said. "He's our sitter, and takes care of our children on weekends. On weekdays, of course, we all take breaks to go pick them up from school."

"Oh that's right, Fairy Tail High is still here, right?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, but it isn't called that anymore. The school board decided to change its name to _Magnolia High_ , since it was often confused with Natsu's restaurant."

"My foster dad's on the board, so it wasn't a big deal," Natsu shrugged.

"Alright," Lucy said. "Now, where are you taking us before work?"

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"You're taking Lucy and Nashi around, Natsu?" Gray asked with an uneasy expression. Natsu nodded.

"Yep! Nash and I are gonna go around town, while Luce is gonna be tagging along with us," he explained.

"That hurts, Natsu," Lucy deadpanned, glaring at him.

"Anyway, Nashi, where would ya' like me ta' take ya'?" Natsu asked, looking at the girl in his lap. Nashi giggled.

"Hmmm, can we go see _Twilight Ogre_? I promised some of my friends that I'd eat there and take a picture of the food," she said.

Natsu's expression suddenly turned grave.

"Before we agree to spend any more time together, we need to talk about something, Nashi Heartfilia," Natsu said in the most serious tone he could muster. "We must never, ever, _ever_ , talk about those-"

"Language, Natsu," Erza cut in, her eyelids drooping.

"E-eh? I wasn't gonna say-"

" _Natsu_."

"Oh gimme a break!"

"What were you gonna say, Natsu?" Nashi asked with a curious expression.

"Oh! I was gonna say that the people at Twilight Ogre are-"

"You're just digging your own grave, man," Gray snickered, clasping his hands around Sylvia's ears. He gestured over to Erza who looked like she was fuming.

"ANYWAY!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. "We can't talk about… the competition, 'kay?"

Nashi nodded with a smile. "Okay, Natsu!"

"Dad, can you let go of Sylvia's ears, please?" Sylvia said with a pout. Gray nodded, smiling at his young daughter.

"You know, you're really cute when you speak like your mother," he said. Juvia squealed.

"Wahhh~! Gray-sama thinks Juvia's speech is kawaii!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hands on her cheeks.

"Would you prefer it if I didn't speak like that?" Sylvia asked, maintaining her monotonous tone.

"Uh… it doesn't really matter to me?" Gray said, unsure.

"Well, it definitely matters to me," Storm cut in, rising from under the covers of the bed. "Sylvia, stop talking like that. It's annoying."

"Okay, if that is what you prefer," Sylvia said, bowing her head politely. Everyone looked at them uneasily, while Storm looked unaffected by what his sister was doing.

"Anyway," Natsu said, picking Nashi up from the bed and placing her in his arms. "Nashi and I better get going. You comin', Luce?"

"Mhm," Lucy nodded, getting up after him and following the two as they led her outside the room.

Everyone remaining stared after them in silence.

"Alright, everyone, time to place bets," Laxus grunted.

"I'm giving them a week till they crash," Gray muttered. "One thousand jewels."

"That's baby money," Erza laughed evilly. "Four thousand five hundred for two weeks."

"Five thousand for three weeks and four days," Mira said in a bored tone. Everyone looked back at her with their eyebrows raised.

"That's awfully specific," Jellal said. Mira gave him a cheshire grin.

"Remind me, Jellal. When have I ever been wrong about this sort of thing?" she smirked.

The entire room fell back in fear. She was right. Whenever couple bets were placed in the group, Mira's would always turn out to be the correct one.

"Three thousand for Mirajane Dreyer," Evergreen muttered in defeat, handing over a wad of cash.

Mira only smiled sweetly.

"And how much time till Lucy-san tells him about Nashi?" Juvia asked.

Mira grinned. "Four weeks tops. Six thousand jewel."

This time, it was Gajeel who smirked in response. He didn't say anything, though.

"Two thousand more for Mirajane," Evergreen mumbled, taking out her wallet.

"Not so fast, Ever," Levy cut in. "I'm going with five weeks for three thousand. If I know Lu-chan, even if they're together, she won't have the guts to tell him about Nashi."

"It's nice to hear that you are so confident with your best friend," Erza said. "I am siding with Mira on this one. One thousand more on her plate."

Mira smiled. "Thank you, Erza!"

"So, should I pay up or not?" Evergreen asked, still fumbling around with a pile of cash.

Gajeel grunted. "I'd like to place my own bet on this," he said quietly.

Everyone's jaws dropped. Gajeel _never_ participated in matchmaking bets.

"Oh yeah, Gajeel?" Levy challenged. "You think you can beat your fiancé?"

Gajeel didn't respond. "Lucy isn't going to tell him. I'm positive. Natsu is going to find out on his own. Fifty thousand jewel."

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes and slacked jaws.

"Fifty thousand…" Gray mumbled. "I could take my family on a weekend getaway to China with that kind of cash."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes into a playful glare.

"Anyone want to place some money on me?" he asked tauntingly. "After all, all of you are much too simple minded for their relationship. All of you even failed to notice that Nashi Heartfilia had the same hair color as Salamander. Pfft, what a bunch of losers."

"Hey, Gajeel. That isn't very nice," Levy scolded.

"Whatever. If no one speaks, I guess that means I'll be getting, what, four-hundred-fifty thousand, hard cash?" Gajeel asked with a smirk.

Levy gulped. "But… I'm your…"

"All's fair in love and war," Gajeel said with a wink.

Juvia coughed. "W-well… Juvia would much rather gain fifty than lose fifty…"

Gray looked at his wife. "Are you about to give in? Juvia! I thought you were better than this!"

"Juvia is sorry, G-Gray-sama. Juvia hopes that you can forgive her for siding with Gajeel-kun," she stuttered, before turning to the giant man. "Gajeel-kun, Juvia will give you ten thousand for your bet."

Gajeel licked his lips.

"Wonderful."

"Dad, why are you covering my ears?" Storm asked.

"You are much too young to be hearing any of this!" Gray said. He nodded to where Juvia was covering Sylvia's ears.

"Are you sure about this? We could lose a lot of money," Levy said, glaring at Gajeel. Gajeel smirked.

"Relax, Hon. Besides, we need to pay for the damages at the wedding, right?" he said.

Levy looked confused. "Damages?" she asked.

"Oh please. With a house full of kids and all these-"

"Language, Gajeel," Erza cut in efficiently.

"I was just saying _goons_."

"Still, use a language barrier so we have time to prepare our children," Erza said, looking over to her sleeping sons. She noticed Velza's eyes flicker, indicating that he was indeed awake. She shook her head, not wanting to deal with that just yet.

"I guess you're right. Oh well. I'll give you an extra twenty," Levy said, wrapping her arms around her fiancé.

"Am I the only one who's worried about those two?" Jellal asked gravely. "They can be much too stubborn for their own good."

Erza sighed, leaning into her husband's neck.

"Well, we'll just have to see where the road takes them, won't we?"

Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia would be lovers once again. Everyone would make sure of that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: Enjoy a bit of NaLu (fluff?) and some work knick-knacks. I'm slowly growing an attachment to some of the OC's in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think!**

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, and Nashi made their way through the bustling streets of Magnolia later that morning. Nashi was resting on Natsu's shoulders, Natsu had the biggest grin on her face, and Lucy looked disgruntled. She did _not_ want to be here, at all. It wasn't her business with what her daughter and her daughter's father did together.

On second thoughts, maybe it would be better if she did tag along. Not because she wanted to spend time with Natsu, but because she wanted to look out for her daughter. Who knew what that man had in store for today.

"Mommy! Did you really live here before?" Nashi asked excitedly, looking at the different shops and restaurants lined up on the streets.

"Unfortunately," Lucy mumbled, taking out her phone and clicking a picture of the street. She smiled to herself, clicking into the _GuildMates_ app and preparing to post it.

Natsu looked over her shoulder. "Oh! That's right! Could ya add me on _GuildMates_?" he asked cheekily, popping out his hip and gesturing to the front pocket of his pants.

Lucy grumbled something under her breath, quickly taking out Natsu's phone and sending herself a request.

"Fine. Whatever," she said, clicking the _post_ button and shutting off her phone. "You better not spam me, Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu grinned. "Ya' never know!"

"Mmph," Lucy said, biting her cheek. What was with this guy? Was he purposely trying to get on her nerves?

"Speaking of which, how is the book comin' along?" Natsu asked, bouncing slightly in order to entertain Nashi.

"Oh, that's right. You never told me what you wanted me to write about," she said, opening the notes app and preparing to type. "Tell me everything. Characters, setting, plot points, all of the minor details too."

Natsu grinned. "Okay, cool. I want you to write about a girl who ran away from home and raised a child on her own."

Lucy sucked in a breath. "Are you kidding me?! No way am I writing about something as trivial as that!"

Natsu shrugged. "Your monthly paycheck isn't going to like that answer," he pointed out.

"I really don't like you," Lucy said, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at him.

"Well, that's just the power I get with being your boss and everything," Natsu said, picking Nashi up and setting her on the ground. "We have two hours to do whatever you want, Princess Nashi of Food. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Nashi thought about it. "Hmm… I'm not sure. What is there to do here?" she asked.

"Well, we can go on a casual stroll in the park, go grab some ice cream-"

"We literally just had breakfast! Are you out of your mind?!" Lucy screeched.

"Hey, I wasn't speaking to you, Lucy Heartfilia," Natsu said, raising an eyebrow. "Or should I say, _Miss Heartfilia_."

"Shut up!"

"Ice cream sounds good!" Nashi said, giving her mother a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Nashi, you are in so much trouble," Lucy said.

"No she isn't," Natsu cut in. "I was the one who suggested it, so I should be the one who gets the punishment."

"Stop that! You're so… AGH!" Lucy said, throwing her arms in the air, lifting her daughter to her waist and stomping off the scene.

Natsu chuckled as he watched her figure disappear.

…

"I cannot believe I agreed to this," Lucy groaned, picking at her chocolate sundae. Natsu smirked, taking a bite out of her ice cream.

"Mmm, chocolate. Tasty, but vanilla is obviously better," he observed.

Lucy scoffed. "Yeah, right. Keep believing," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Vanilla was the original flavor!"

"Vanilla is a type of flower. Chocolate is always better than flowers, keep that in mind," Lucy said.

"Oh, right. You used to tell me that when I gave you flowers. You told me that you liked chocolate way better as a romantic gift," Natsu said casually, not daring to look her in the eye.

His plan was simple. Remind Lucy about their old relationship, and she might give in and be his girlfriend once again.

"Y-y-you little-"

"Uh uh uh," Natsu scolded, looking at Nashi who was enjoying her own cone.

"You all are wrong!" she exclaimed. "Chocolate and vanilla are second and third! Strawberry is the best!"

Lucy looked at her. "What? Nashi! How could you do this to me?!"

"The real question is," Natsu said, "is vanilla the one that's second or third? Second, right? I knew it."

"You didn't even let her answer you!" Lucy complained.

"Oh come on, Lucy. No need to be such a sore loser," Natsu teased.

"You are a horrible, sickening, disgusting man. I hope you rot in hell," Lucy said, mumbling the last part so Nashi wouldn't hear her.

"Getting a little spicy, are we?" Natsu said, giving her the deadliest smirk.

Lucy looked aghast. "Gahh! I really, really, _really_ don't like you!"

"Relax. It's all in good fun," Natsu said.

"I'm finished," Nashi said, tugging at her mother's skirt. "Can we go shopping?"

Lucy smiled brightly. "That is a wonderful idea, my sweetheart. Let's go! Natsu's paying, so buy whatever you'd like!"

"You are one sick woman," Natsu said. "But fine. I'll pay as long as I get to buy stuff for Nashi."

"Hmph. Fine. Whatever. As long as you're paying," Lucy said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Natsu grinned. This meant he was only one step closer to befriending Nashi, and winning back Lucy.

"Say, Luce?" he asked as they walked into the shopping district. "What happened between you and Nashi's father?"

Lucy stopped. Natsu could see her visibly gulp; a tear of sweat trickled down her forehead as she gave him the most calculating stare possible.

"W-why do you want to know about something like that?" she asked slowly, carefully.

"Just curious," Natsu shrugged, throwing out a coin to one of the vendor stalls and grabbing a red pepper. He bit into it and moaned in delight.

Lucy cringed. "Really, Natsu?" she asked. "Really?"

"Whaaaat?" Natsu whined. "They're good!"

"Ooh, can I have one too?" Nashi asked, taking Natsu's hand and tugging him back to the vegetable stand.

"Sure! What color? The red one is sweet, and the green one is bitter," Natsu explained. He already knew which one she was going to pick. He began to reach for the green one.

"Then the red one, please!"

Natsu stopped.

"Red? Seriously?" he asked in disbelief. "Are ya' sure?"

"Positive," Nashi said, eyeing the bright red color of the pepper in Natsu's hand. She smirked devilishly.

"Alrighty then," Natsu said. "I woulda thought you'd go for the bitter one."

"Why?" Nashi asked curiously. "I like sweet things more than bad tasting things!"

"Oh," Natsu said. "Okay." _She just seemed like the type to like spicy things._

"Ohh those braids are so cute!" Lucy exclaimed, looking into one of the shops. She eyed their collections. "Nashi! Do you want one?"

"The pink one!" Nashi said happily, taking her mother's hand and entering the store.

Natsu winced. "Don't hurt my wallet's feelings!" he called after them.

"What's our budget, then?" Lucy asked as he approached them.

"Five thousand?" Natsu said.

Lucy gave him a look. "You can't get anything good in just five thousand," she pointed out.

"Fine. Fifteen thousand," Natsu reasoned.

"More."

"Sixteen."

"More."

"Eighteen?"

"Getting there."

"Thirty!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air.

Lucy smirked. "I would have given in for twenty, but thirty works too!"

"Gahhh!"

"Excuse me? How much are these braids?"

…

"I am never shopping with you again in my life," Natsu groaned, exiting the shopping district with a bunch of bags in his hands. "You wasted thirty-five thousand jewel!"

"Oh please. I'd hardly say your no-good money was _wasted_ ," Lucy said. "Besides, I'm about to go to work with you anyways. I can always earn enough to pay you back, if you'd like."

Natsu sighed in defeat. "No, nevermind. I did say I'd pay," he said.

Lucy nodded. "Good."

The two, along with Nashi, entered _Fairy Tail_ with small smiles. The regular customers who recognized Natsu all greeted him and told them how good the food was.

Natsu grinned. "Listen up, everyone!" he shouted, clinking a nearby juice class and catching the attention of everyone in the restaurant. "I'll be closing early today at four."

All the people around them put on frowns. Some of the kids went 'Awww'.

"But," Natsu continued. "As a special treat for today, since I'll be leaving early, I'm going to take the liberty to cook each and every one of your meals."

That caused an uproar.

"Well, you're pretty famous," Nashi noticed. "Good for you, Natsu!"

"People say my cooking is the best in town, and I rarely cook the meals personally here. Whenever I do, the people are extremely happy."

"You must be proud of the restaurant you've made," Nashi observed.

"Oh, I am Nash," Natsu winked. "Now, would you like to help me for today? I have to show your mom the ropes around here, but you can assist with the food!"

"Awesome!" Nashi agreed, following him into the kitchen.

"C'mon, Luce!" Natsu waved.

Lucy sighed. She didn't have any other choice, per se.

"Well, your job for pretty self-explanatory," Natsu started. He turned around to face the blonde once they were in the kitchen. "You are the manager of waitressing. Meaning, you'll be keeping tabs on which waiter serves which table, and occasionally being a waitress yourself. Sound cool?"

Lucy nodded, taking the information in slowly. She processed her new job, and nodded.

"I'll do my best," she agreed.

"Cool. Here's the notebook you'll use for keeping records," Natsu said, handing her a thick green book with multiple names in it. "The waiters are in the lounge area. Make yourself comfortable with them, do the job, and report back to me every day with the record book."

Lucy was surprised. Natsu was acting very professional, something unlike him.

"I understand. I'll get right on it," she said, taking a pen off the counter and disappearing into the next room.

Natsu sighed, looking down at the pink-haired girl besides him.

"Hey, Nashi? Are we friends?" he asked, leaning down.

Nashi nodded excitedly. "Yes!"

Natsu smirked.

This would be easy.

…

Lucy cautiously entered the lounge area. She had been told by one of the hosts that Natsu had not put them to work yet, since that was now her job. Before she did that, though, she had to meet them personally.

She took a deep breath, seeing the many curious eyes looking at her.

"Hello," she started off strongly. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I am your new manager."

The women and men looked astounded.

"Mr. Dragneel appointed a manager for us? He's never done that before," a young girl said. She looked like she was still in her teens.

"Yes, I've been informed of such circumstances," Lucy said. "However, I do not wish this to come between you and your paycheck. You can continue doing the work you've been doing since day one, but now you'll have a second set of eyes to look over your handiwork."

The people nodded simultaneously.

Lucy coughed, opening her record book and scanning the names.

"Mina? You're on section one," she started. The teenage girl from before stepped up and bowed.

"Yes, Heartfilia-san," she said politely, before taking an apron off the rack and exiting the room.

"Hibus," Lucy started again, eyeing the blonde man that stepped forward. "Section two and three for today."

"Yes," he said with a bow, taking an apron, a small notebook for orders, and tieing his long hair into a short ponytail.

"Cool. Um… Lervis? Is that how you pronounce it?" Lucy said unsurely, looking towards a petite brown-haired woman.

"Lerv is fine," the older woman said, smiling warmly at Lucy and exiting the room after Lucy assigned her to the fourth section.

"Saran, you're on section five, six, and seven. You've been working here the longest, so three sections plus two shifts should be okay for you," Lucy said, tapping her pen on the notebook and nodding towards the dangerously pretty woman who looked to be a little younger than herself.

Saran nodded with an eye-roll. "Sure, whatever."

Lucy thought nothing of her rude behavior, turning back to her records and assigning the rest.

"Yule, you're on eight. Ikki, you're on nine and ten. And… I'll be counting on Shen for the final two sections."

Lucy smiled thoughtfully as everyone was put to work. Well, almost everyone. There was still a small girl standing there.

"Um… I wasn't assigned?" she said, looking up.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, looking back to the book.

"Hmm, weird. It doesn't say your name here. Can you spell it for me, please?" she asked.

The girl nodded. "Of course, Heartfilia. It is P-A-N-D-A," she said.

Lucy blinked. "Panda?" she asked.

Panda nodded. "Yes, my name is Panda," she said.

"Oh," Lucy said. "I like pandas."

"I don't. I don't like my name. My favorite is the flamingo," Panda said.

"Oh. I like flamingos too," Lucy said awkwardly. "Anyway, I'll go to the kitchen and question Natsu about this. Hang tight." Lucy quickly exited the room, heading towards Natsu's quarters.

"Hey, Nashi! Grab me one of those rice balls, will ya'?!" Lucy heard once she entered. Her eyes widened as she saw her daughter and Natsu throwing rice across the room to each other.

"What is going on in here?" she asked.

Someone else came up behind her. "I wouldn't question it. Dragneel-kun rarely cooks here, and when he does, it is very messy."

Lucy turned around to come face to face with a tall man with messy black hair. He shot her a wink and went back to looking at Natsu and Nashi.

"Oh, hey Luce!" Natsu exclaimed, noticing Lucy standing in the doorway with a dumbstruck expression on her face. "I see you've met Ro. He's usually the one who does most of the cooking around here."

Ro stuck out his hand to her. "Pleased to meet you," he said with a friendly smile.

Lucy took it. "Yeah, you too. My name's Lucy Heartfilia."

"Ah, I heard about a new manager around here. Welcome to the team, Heartfilia-san," Ro said politely, sticking to common Japanese courtesy by calling her by her last name.

"Just Lucy's fine," Lucy said meekly.

"No, please. I'd feel bad to call you by your first name so soon. I will take off the honorific if that suits you better."

"'Heartfilia' just sounds wrong," Lucy said. Ro laughed.

"Aye aye," he said, saluting and making his way to Natsu. "Dragneel-kun, you know how much I enjoy your cooking, but please be more careful."

Natsu snorted. "Relax, Ro," he said lazily, chopping up a few pieces of meat and putting them into the stew that was cooking.

"Natsu, can I help?" Nashi asked. Natsu chuckled. He nodded and gave her a small butter knife. Lucy gasped.

"Natsu! Don't give a nine-year-old a knife! Do you have any sense of anything?" she scolded.

"It's all good. It's just a butter knife," Natsu replied.

Lucy then widened her eyes as she remembered the reason why she was here. "Oh, right, there's a young waitress in the lounge area by the name of Panda. She wasn't on the record book list."

Natsu looked up. "Panda? Oh yeah. She usually works the morning breakfast shifts before the restaurant opens. We sometimes open early, you see, and she does all the work single handedly."

"Wow," Lucy whistled. "She's so young though."

Natsu laughed. "Don't let her looks fool you," he said. "She's almost forty years old."

Lucy blinked. "F-forty?" she exclaimed. "Wait… what?!"

Natsu nodded. "Yep. Panda's great though. I usually assign her to the extra sections, since she already finishes most of her work hours in the morning."

Lucy nodded. "Okay. That makes sense."

"Mommy! Can you please pass me that pepper from the bowl?" Nashi suddenly said, pointing towards a giant spread of vegetables behind Lucy and Ro.

Ro grinned, turning around quickly before Lucy could even move. He tossed the young girl the pepper with a smile.

"Here you go," he said, bowing his head ever so slightly, as if remembering his place. "Enjoy it."

"Cool!" Nashi exclaimed.

Lucy sighed. "Well, I better get going back to Panda. I'll see you around, Ro," she said, offering him a wave and exiting the room.

"I'll be looking forward to it, Heartfilia-san!" he called, smiling to himself and turning back to Natsu. "She is quite a nice woman."

Natsu nodded. "You can say that again."

…

Over the course of the next five hours, Lucy learnt many things about her co-workers. For example, Mina was a junior at Magnolia High School, and Hibus was training to be a teacher there. Saran had quit modeling a few years ago because of familial problems, and Lervis and Panda were distant cousins. Ikki and Yule were childhood friends, but the Yule had grown apart from his best friend in high school because of various reasons. When they reconnected a few years ago, they both found jobs together and stayed good friends ever since.

"Ikki, I heard there was a spill in your second shift. How did that go?" Lucy asked, looking up when she saw the woman enter, her long black hair flowing out behind her. She was talking to Yule, who combed back his own black hair and offered a polite bow when he noticed Lucy was talking to his comrade.

"It was okay. Yule helped me clean it up, but it didn't cause a rift in his shift," Ikki said. Lucy nodded, gesturing for her to come over. Ikki did, looking a little confused. She waved to Yule before taking a seat next to her manager. "Is something wrong, Lucy-san?"

Lucy smirked. "You seem to know Yule quite well, don't you?" she started smoothly. Ikki immediately blushed.

"I… what?" she said, with wide eyes. "Lucy-san? What is this about?"

Lucy laughed. "I'm great with this sort of thing. Get comfortable, because I want to offer you a bit of advice. It's obvious you like each other," she said, nudging Ikki and giving her a suggestive smile.

Ikki looked dumbfounded. "L-Lucy-san!"

"Now, listen closely," Lucy said. Ikki, despite her protests, had no choice but to see what this was all about. "Yule is an Aries, and you are an Aquarius. You two are practically made for each other!"

Ikki's jaw dropped. "You're an astrologer?" she exclaimed in excitement. "Stars have always fascinated me!"

Lucy grinned. "Something like that. I do know a few things, that's for sure. Anyway, Aries' enjoy hardcore activities. Keep that in mind. Yule will definitely be the one to pull the first move on you," she said.

Ikki gasped. "What? Really? Are you just trying to get my hopes up, Lucy-san?!" she said. "Is it even okay for you to be talking to me like this?"

"Oh please. This is perfectly fine," Lucy said, waving her hand. "Has Yule ever gone through some tough times?"

Ikki nodded slowly. "Yes… he suffered a lot a few months ago, with his father and everything. I didn't know what to do, so I didn't do anything."

"Uh huh… is he still going through something?" Lucy asked curiously.

Ikki shrugged. "I'm not completely sure, but maybe," she said. "What are you suggesting?"

"Aries like to vent their anger out through very conventional methods. I want you to be there for Yule. I want you to offer your shoulder to him, because it is very likely that he will need that from you," Lucy explained. "He might get a little aggressive, but don't be afraid. You need to trust him, and the fact that he will never even think about hurting you."

"I know he won't. He's been my best friend for so long, it's hard to imagine him doing anything of the sort to me!" Ikki said.

Lucy nodded. "Correct. Now, I want a full report by the end of the week!" she said with a wide smile.

Ikki looked so _happy_ , it warmed Lucy's heart to see her talent be put to use.

"Ohh thank you so much, Lucy-san! I won't let you down!" Ikki exclaimed, carefully taking her apron off and fleeing out of the room. She was undoubtedly going to go find Yule, Lucy had no doubt in her mind.

"So you're a matchmaker, huh?" a new voice cut into Lucy's thoughts. Lucy turned around to see Saran in the doorway. She offered a smile at the beautiful brunette woman.

"I wouldn't say I'm a matchmaker, but I do like making people happy with their relationships," Lucy said.

Saran scoffed. "Whatever," she said quietly, going into the opposite side of the room and looking through her notes for the day.

"Are you heading home?" Lucy asked, trying to make small talk.

"I'm going to pick up my little sister from school, and then I'll go home, thank you very much," Saran said curtly.

Lucy winced at her tone. "Oh. Alright," she decided on saying. "So, I heard you were a model?"

Saran rolled her eyes. "Stalker, much?" she muttered rudely.

Lucy did not like her attitude one bit.

"Hey, I'm just trying to build a conversation. Give me a break," she said, putting down her foot and crossing her arms. "I just wanted to talk. You're an exceptionally talented waitress. All the customers love you."

"Yes, but the one person I want to love me doesn't, but that's just how the world works, isn't it?" Saran snapped, clicking her book closed and huffing to the coat rack.

Lucy took a step back. "Mmm… unrequited love? I know a thing or two. Want to test my knowledge?" she offered kindly.

"No thank you. Loving your bo-" Saran started, but cut herself off with a scoff. "Whatever. Doesn't matter."

"Ready to go?" Natsu's voice cut through their conversation. Lucy and Saran both turned around to see Natsu standing behind them with Nashi besides his figure. He gave Saran a nod, which she politely returned with a lip bite.

Lucy rolled her eyes once she saw the pink-haired man.

"So, how did you torture Nashi?" she asked, walking up to her daughter and taking her into her arms. "Mommy is sorry she had to leave you with this stinky old man, Nash."

Natsu gasped, placing a hand on his heart. "That hurts, Luce," he teased, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy could see Saran wince from the corner of the room.

She brushed Natsu's hand off with a glare.

"Shut up! Remember our deal?! Don't be so stupid and dense!" she screeched, turning on her heel with Nashi still in her hold. "C'mon, Nash. We're going to leave this old man behind and go see our friends!"

"They're my friends too! And I am _not_ an old man!" Natsu yelled after her. He quickly turned to Saran and waved. "Great work today, Sar! I've got to go catch that weirdo! See ya' tomorrow!"

Saran tried waving back, but Natsu whisked out of the room before she could say anything.

Saran glared to herself, clutching her heart and feeling the tears surface in her eyes.

"Why, you stupid blonde! Why did you have to come when I was so _close_ to making him mine?"

* * *

 **I wrote a NaLu one shot recently! Just go to my profile to check it out~ It's called 'Home for the Holidays'.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: I dunno if I like this chapter or not, to be honest.**

 **Ahhh thank you for 145!**

 **Start placing your bets for the ending ships, folks!**

* * *

Lucy had learned many things in this past week while working with Natsu, but most prominently, she discovered that Ro's cooking was _phenomenal_ , and that Saran really didn't like her for some reason.

"What's going on with you guys today," she smiled towards the waiters and waitresses. Lucy sighed, before continuing. "Natsu thought it would be good for me to finally try my hand at some waitressing here."

That got quite a few hollers. "Lucy-san, have you ever been a waitress?" Shen asked. Lucy nodded.

"Quite a bit, actually. I was a waitress back in my old town for almost nine years," she said.

"How did you even manage to get by with just waitressing," Saran scoffed. "Did you have some sort of other lowly job on the side?"

Lucy frowned. "That's personal information," she said simply, crossing her arms and redirecting her attention towards the others. She was _not_ in the mood to let Saran ruin her day.

"Will you be taking over someone else's shift?" Panda asked curiously. Lucy shook her head.

"Not at all. You guys can all continue working like you normally do. I'll just be around, and if I find a table to work with, I will," she explained.

Everyone looked doubtful at that. "Are you sure? Isn't that kind of not as fair?" Yule asked.

"No, it isn't, since I still have my manager duties to take care of," Lucy said. "I can't let those stand by and-"

"Not so fast, Luce," a new voice chimed in. Everyone looked to the doorway with wide eyes. The workers immediately sunk into a low bow once they saw their boss. Lucy, however, only scoffed.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy grumbled, glaring at Natsu.

"Oi, that isn't the way to treat your friend," Natsu said, emphasizing the last word. Lucy groaned. It was true, she had had no choice but to agree to being his friend after the incident last week. Unfortunately for her, Nashi had admitted to being Natsu's friend, meaning that Lucy also was forced to be his friend.

"Dragneel-sama," everyone said politely.

Natsu grinned, enjoying the power he held over everyone. Lucy rolled her eyes once she noticed his expression of glee.

"Anyway, Luce, I'll be taking over your duties for today," Natsu said promptly, swiping the book out of her hands and flipping open to the front cover. Lucy's eyes widened as his words sunk in.

"What?!" she screeched. "No way! I'm going to take care of my own work, thank you very much!"

"Lucy-san has guts, to be speaking to her boss like that," Mina whispered to Lervis. Lervis could only nod.

"Everyone needs to just calm down," Saran cut in efficiently. She turned to Lucy and raised an eyebrow. "Natsu-kun is offering his help, be a deary and accept it."

"Natsu _-kun_?!" Lucy yelped, trying to stop her giggles from escaping. "K-kun! Ahahahaha," she laughed, pointing at Natsu with a wicked grin. "Ohhh _Natsu-kunnnn_ , please help me with my manager duties! I ever so need them!"

Natsu smirked. "Oh of course I will, _Lucy-chan!_ "

Lucy gasped. "Hey!" she yelled. "That isn't fair!"

" _Lucy-chan_."

" _Natsu-kun!_ "

" _Lucyyy-channnn!"_

" _Natsuuu-kun!"_

"What in Fiore is going on in here," Ro's voice said. Lucy and Natsu turned to see the tall man holding a soup spoon. "Dragneel-kun, the soup isn't going to cook itself any faster!"

Natsu smiled sheepishly. "Would you mind taking care o' that? I got my hands full for today," he said, gesturing over to Lucy.

Ro gulped. "Alright. I can, but you might have a little explaining to do to Tofu," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Natsu's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Tofuya's back?!" he exclaimed loudly. Lucy could tell this _Tofuya_ guy was important, whoever he was.

Even the waiter team started whispering to each other.

"Tofuya almost never shows up," Yule said to Ikki, who nodded.

"I wonder what he wants," she replied quietly, looking at Ro and Natsu.

"Tofu-san's back already? Argh…" Shen muttered, crossing his arms and looking at the floor. "And I was so close to getting a raise!"

"Wait, why is Tofu even here?" Natsu suddenly asked, directing his attention back to Ro. Ro laughed nervously.

"He brought the twins with him. They want to talk to you about your hiring policy," Ro said.

Natsu's jaw dropped. "What?! There's no way in hell I'm hiring them! You can go tell Tofu to just forget about it!"

Ro deadpanned Natsu a look. "Tofuya is the son of the owner of this building. You're still in property debt, so you don't really have any other choice. I agree that those nephews of his are trouble, but honestly, what were you expecting?"

Natsu glared at him. "Tofu is a great worker. He was ranked number one every single week last year, and it was because of him I took down the whole ranking thing a few months ago."

"Ranking?" Lucy finally spoke up. Natsu and Ro's heads popped in her direction. Just as Natsu was opening his mouth, Ro beat him to it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Heartfilia-san," he said, "you must think we are spouting gibberish."

"Um… it's alright," Lucy tried.

"Eel Tofuya is the son of the owner of the building you are currently standing in. Tofuya and Natsu went to college together, so he was able to get his father to agree to striking a deal with Natsu and opening his business here," Ro explained. "Tofuya is slowly climbing up the ranks in his own business tycoon, but he sometimes works here to earn some extra jewel in cases of emergencies. He used to work at _Fairy Tail_ almost every other day, and soon he became the best waiter here. Everyone loved him."

Natsu, who was looking a little annoyed at Ro for cutting in and talking to Lucy, then took off where he stopped. "Tofu is a great guy, even though he can be a little too serious at times. Two years ago, he introduced me to his nephews. His older sister's twin boys, Jimnee and Neejim. Those two are… they're definitely somethin'."

"Neejim creeps me out," Shen suddenly said. Lucy looked at him with confusion. Were these two boys really that bad?

"Oh stop it, Shen. You're only saying that because you don't like to acknowledge Nee-kun's feelings towards you," Mina said. Shen appeared to shudder under her gaze.

"I don't understand why he likes me so much," he said, sitting down on a chair with his head in his hands.

Lucy laughed. "C'mon guys, how bad can they be?" she asked nervously.

"Jimnee's pretty mature, though," Ikki said in a small voice. "He's alright. He keeps Neejim in line, that's for sure."

"Jimnee is great. Neejim can be troublesome," Hibus said.

Lucy nodded, understanding. "I get it," she said thoughtfully.

"Natsu-kun, let me walk you to your office. You seem a little shocked," Saran said suddenly, offering her arm towards Natsu. Lucy raised an eyebrow as she saw the exchange, but didn't think anything of it.

"I'm alright, but thanks, Sar!" Natsu said with a cheeky grin. Saran bit her lip, trying to fight the blush that crept onto her cheeks.

Ro, who had been watching, walked up to Lucy and swung an arm around her. "I need to talk to you," he said quietly, just so that she could hear him. Lucy looked at the raven-haired man in confusion, but followed him out of the room nevertheless.

Saran quickly took the opportunity.

"Come on, Natsu-kun. Let me help you," she said, dragging him out and towards his office.

…

Lucy didn't know what exactly was going on. Where was Ro taking her? What business did he have with her?

"Um… where are we?" she asked once he pulled her into the back alley of the building.

"I wanted to ask you something, but it wouldn't really be appropriate to do it in front of everyone else," Ro explained.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Uh… okay. What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Dragneel-kun. Do you love him?"

Lucy blinked. She stumbled on her heel as the words sunk into her ears. Her eyes widened and her balance fell.

"I-I!" she tried saying, but couldn't find any words. "H-how… what?"

Ro smiled. "Do you love him?" he repeated.

Lucy gulped. "No. I do not love him," she said.

"But you had a daughter with him anyway," Ro said slowly.

Lucy tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "How did you find out? You've only seen Nashi once."

Lucy was very grateful that none of the other waiters and waitresses had seen Nashi, since she had stayed in the kitchen with Ro and Natsu throughout the time she had been there.

"It really isn't that big of a puzzle. The minute I saw her hair, I was already certain," Ro said, sighing and leaning against the brick wall. "I just wanted to see if my suspicions were correct."

"I…"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Ro said with a kind smile. Lucy let out a breath of relief. "It doesn't seem like Dragneel-kun is aware of the fact that Nashi is his daughter, though. What's up with that?"

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, he doesn't know."

Ro raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Lucy crossed her arms and sunk to her knees. She didn't want to cry in front of Ro. She couldn't cry in front of him. It would show her vulnerability, which was something Lucy didn't want.

"Mm… I became pregnant with Nashi in my final year of high school," she revealed. "A few weeks later, I found him pinning up another girl in the back of the school."

Ro's fists clenched and his jaw hardened as her words sunk in.

"He cheated on his pregnant girlfriend?" he hissed.

Lucy choked out a nod. "He didn't know about the baby, and I didn't ever plan on telling him. I packed my bags and left the city after that incident," she said. "I moved to Acalypha, where I lived my life with my daughter for ten years."

Ro breathed heavily. "How… how dare he," he muttered devilishly. "How _dare_ he?! I always held such respect for Dragneel-kun, but now…"

"No no, it's alright, really," Lucy said. "Don't change your opinion about him because of this."

"How do you expect me to just disregard the fact that Dragneel-kun… I mean, _Natsu,_ did this to you?!" Ro said. "There's no way I'm calling him Dragneel-kun after this. He doesn't deserve that respect from me."

Lucy gulped. "Ro, really…"

"Lucy, he hurt you!"

Lucy's eyes widened as he used her first name. Ro was breathing heavily; Lucy knew he cared.

She smiled softly. "Thank you. For listening," she said, trying to hold back her sobs.

Ro gave her a look of concern.

"Are you alright? Do you… need to cry?" he asked quietly, holding out his arms and offering himself to her. Ro knew that what Lucy needed right now was someone to help her get through this giant mess.

Lucy looked at his inviting figure. She could help it- she literally ran into his arms and let her sobs run free. She cried and she cried and she cried. She hadn't even cried this much when everything happened ten years ago. Maybe time was finally catching up on her, and she wanted to let loose of all the suffering she had gone through in her years. She clung to Ro's shirt. He was being so _kind_ to her, and he didn't even bother judging her after what she did. He was truly a great friend.

"I won't let him hurt you again," Ro said, pulling away from her and smiling. "You'll be fine, Lucy."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered, wiping her eyes and putting on her biggest, brightest smile. "I'm going to work as hard as I can, and I'll make sure my daughter lives her life to the fullest. She won't have to know what her father did to her… she won't even have to know what her father did to me."

…

Natsu sighed as Saran pulled him into his office.

"Natsu-kun, please sit down and rest. I'll get you a cup of coffee. You don't need to work so hard all the time," she said, pulling his desk chair towards him and setting him down.

"Sar, I'm fine! Please, I wanna go see Luce," Natsu whined.

Saran scoffed. "Honestly, Natsu-kun. You need to just calm down about her for a minute. She's fine," she said, crossing her arms and turning to the door. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Mhm," Natsu muttered, closing his eyes as she exited the room and shut the door behind her.

Natsu grinned, jumping out of his seat and running out of the office. He had seen where Ro had taken Lucy before. They were going to the back alleyway. Natsu wanted to go find her; he wanted to go talk to her more. He had to, since he wanted to get her back.

Natsu froze as he entered the back alleyway. Ro and Lucy were talking, and Lucy looked like she was close to tears. He quickly hid behind a brick wall, listening closely.

"Lucy, he hurt you!" Ro screeched. Natsu gulped. Who were they talking about?

And since when did Ro address Lucy by her first name?

"Thank you… for listening," Lucy said quietly.

So she had vented? Why to Ro of all people?

"Are you alright? Do you… need to cry?" Ro asked, holding out his arms for a hug.

Natsu's eyes widened as Lucy accepted his embrace. He watched in utter shock as she clung to him, crying her eyes out.

Natsu was beyond confused. Why the heck was Lucy crying into Ro? What had happened that made her so… vulnerable? Did someone at the restaurant say something to her? Did someone hurt her? Natsu's jaw clenched at the thought.

"I won't let him hurt you again," Ro suddenly began, leaning away and looking at her. "You'll be fine, Lucy."

"Thank you," Lucy said with a big smile.

But what she said next, completely shocked Natsu to his core.

"I'm going to work as hard as I can, and I'll make sure my daughter lives her life to the fullest. She won't have to know what her father did to her… she won't even have to know what her father did to me."

So they were speaking about Nashi's father. Lucy's ex-lover.

Natsu was speechless. Lucy had willingly told Ro about him? But she absolutely refused to tell Natsu anything! … Why?

Was it because Lucy still didn't trust him with that kind of information? He had worked so hard! Natsu had thought they were on good terms now, after earning Nashi's friendship a week ago.

So why? Why was he still being left out of the loop? Why was Ro the one Lucy turned to for emotional support? Didn't she know that Natsu would always be there for her, no matter what?

"You still have to be kind to him, alright?" Lucy's voice interrupted his thoughts. Ro bit his lip, and nodded.

"It'll be hard… but okay. I know he can't suspect a thing," Ro agreed.

"Thank you," Lucy said.

Ro's eyes widened as he appeared to remember something. "Oh, that's right! Tofuya is coming by really soon! I have to go get ready," he said, patting her shoulder and running back inside the restaurant.

Natsu gasped.

"Shit. I almost forgot about that."

…

Lucy was not expecting this at all. She had heard about this Tofuya guy, but she still had no idea what kind of guy he was. She was not, however, prepared for this.

Tofuya was, to say the least, very very _hot_.

He was tall and slender, with calming green eyes. He had messy blonde hair and his jaw was so perfectly aligned with the rest of his face, Lucy had to take a second look just to make sure he wasn't a painting.

"Natsu, it's been a while," Tofuya said, holding out his hand with a charming smile. Natsu grinned widely, taking the hand and giving him a brohug.

"How've ya' been, Tofu?" he asked, smirking. "The restaurant's been slacking without ya'!"

"Hey!" Hibus exclaimed playfully from his spot. The waiters and waitresses then got up to go greet the man.

"And who might this lovely woman be?" Tofuya asked, looking over to Lucy with a mysterious glint in his eyes. Lucy blushed under his stare.

"That's Lucy Heartfilia. She's our manager," Natsu introduced. He then took Lucy's hand and placed it in Tofuya's. "Lucy, meet Eel Tofuya, you already know who he is, I think."

Lucy nodded. "Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tofuya-sama," she bowed. Tofuya laughed.

"Oh please. That sounds much too formal. Call me Tofuya like anyone else… or maybe Tofu. I'm not a piece of vegetarian chicken, though."

That caused quite a few laughs around the room.

"Alright, Tofuya," Lucy smiled.

"Speaking of, I spoke with Jimnee and Neejim before coming here," Tofuya said, turning back to Natsu. Natsu groaned.

"Heck no. There's no way I'm hiring them. You did manage to convince them not to take the job here, right?" he asked hopefully. Tofuya shook his head.

"You know how they are. Jimnee and Neejim are currently outside, and if I'm not mistaken, they should be coming in in around three… two… one... " he said, counting down and looking towards the door.

Just then, the door burst in and two sauve looking men stepped in in complete sync. Lucy's jaw dropped as she laid her eyes on the tall guys. One had a head of blonde hair much like her own, and the other had white hair.

"I'm Jimnee," the white-haired man said.

"And I'm Neejim," the blonde man said.

"And we're here to get a job at _Fairy Tail_!" they said simultaneously.

Natsu facepalmed.

"No, you two are not gettin' hired!" he screeched. "So go pack your bags and leave!"

Jimnee and Neejim both looked down.

"But Natsu!" Neejim whined. "We'll be really hard working!"

"Nope."

"We'll do our best!"

"Nope."

Jimnee then spoke up. "We'll get you food everyday," he said, crossing his arms and deadpanning Natsu a look.

Natsu appeared to physically light up.

"You're hired! You'll start next week!" he exclaimed, shaking both of their hands and grinning like an idiot.

"You _Baka_!" Lucy screeched, coming from behind him and hitting him on his head. "Are you seriously that dense?! You need them to go through a job interview first, Idiot!"

Tofuya laughed. "Don't worry, Lucy. They've both had plenty of interviews with Natsu before. Natsu has just never hired them," he explained.

Lucy huffed. "Still!" she said, before directing her attention to her phone. She scanned the message that had just displayed in front of it and gasped. "Natsu! Come with me for a second!"

"But Luce I-" Natsu started, before being dragged out by the blonde.

Once they were outside the restaurant, Lucy turned to Natsu with an expression of surprise. She handed her phone to him and allowed him to look at the message on the front.

Natsu's eyes popped out of their sockets. "SHE'S _WHAT?!"_

Lucy's hands jittered with excitement. "Four! A fourth kid! Erza and Jellal are expecting their _fourth_ child!"

Natsu grinned widely. "That's so awesome!" he said, taking out his own phone and opening up the group chat between everyone. He quickly typed out a message and grinned with satisfaction.

Lucy looked at her phone curiously as Natsu's message appeared.

 **Natsu: Yoshhh y'all should come to FT for dinner 2nite! It's all on me! Six thirty!**

Lucy smiled to herself, typing back a response.

 **Lucy: Sounds good.**

 **Gray: What's this? Are Natsu and Lucy being nice to each other?!**

 **Lucy: SHUT UP GRAY!**

 **Gray: Hehe…**

Natsu gave Lucy a questionable look, putting away his phone and gesturing for her to follow him. "Come on, I need to tell the customers that I'll be closing early for a private party," he said. Lucy nodded.

"Alright," she muttered before following his lead. Natsu grinned as they entered the restaurant through the main doors. He turned to the main table section.

"I'll be closing at six today. Someone has made a private reservation that I need to attend to," he said in a loud voice. Lucy smirked from behind him. She knew that if the customers knew that it was just a friendly get together, they would be less than pleased with this turn of events.

"Closing early, eh?" Ro asked as Natsu and Lucy reentered the kitchen. Tofuya, Jimnee, and Neejim were standing around. It looked as if Ro was teaching them something before they came in.

"What's going on here?" Lucy asked curiously, gesturing over to the twins and Tofuya.

"Ro here was just showing Jimnee the ropes. He's joining him in the kitchen," Tofuya explained. Natsu whirled over to the white-haired man.

"You can cook?" he asked slowly. "I thought'cha were always interested in being a waiter!"

Jimnee rolled his eyes. "Actually, twas my brother who wished to be a waiter. I twas the one who wanted to cook in the land of the kitchen."

Lucy tilted her head at his dialect. "Um…?"

Jimnee turned to her. "Twas something incorrect, no?"

"I think your Japanese is a little funky," Lucy said meekly. Jimnee looked at her, before chuckling silently.

"I know. I was just trying out something new. Speaking in regular Japanese can get a little boring, you know?"

"I guess," Lucy said, shrugging her shoulders in indifference.

"Now, where did you say the spices were?" Jimnee asked, looking back at Ro.

"Depends on what kind of food you're making. Since this is an all-rounder restaurant, you might be cooking Chinese one second, and then suddenly have to cook something Italian the next," Ro explained, before pointing to a large cabinet to the right. "In there, you'll find most international spices," he then pointed to a cabinet on the left, "and in there is where the national spices are. If you're cooking something Asian, check here."

Jimnee nodded thoughtfully. "I see," he said. "And what about universal spices?"

Ro blinked. "Universal? What are those?"

"They're for the aliens, of course. What if creatures from outer space come to eat here, and we don't have any of the foods they're used to?" Jimnee said seriously.

Ro sighed. "Jimnee, how many times do I have to tell you? Aliens won't be stopping here for a meal."

"We need to take necessary precautions anyway!" Jimnee exclaimed, looking over to Lucy. "You agree with me, don't you, Heartfilia?"

Lucy looked unsure. "Um… yes?"

Jimnee grinned, turning back to Ro. "You heard the lady," he said, crossing his arms.

Ro gave Lucy a teasing glare. "You just had to go and agree with him, didn't you," he said playfully. Lucy smiled, laughing at Ro.

"Of course I did. Anything against you is my speciality," she replied in a mocking way.

Natsu looked between them with an eyebrow raised.

"Um…?" he said, tilting his head and giving Ro a hard stare. Ro ignored him completely; it was clear that he still hadn't gotten over the revelations from earlier the same day. Natsu sighed, looking back to Lucy. "We still have a few hours before closing," he said. "You can still do your waitressing duties before then."

Lucy nodded. "Sure," she said, grabbing an apron and pulling it on. She took a pencil from the counter and wrapped her long hair around it, tying it up efficiently and taking a waitress notebook and pen. "See you in my break," she said, waving to Ro and smoothly exiting the room.

Lucy sighed, walking over to the host's desk and noticing some people were waiting around.

"Have you already had someone attend to you?" she asked, walking up to a small family of three sitting in the waiting area.

The woman shook her head. "No, we've been waiting here for almost ten minutes," she said.

Lucy sucked in a breath and put on an apologetic face. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Please, let me show you to a table," she said, leading them to a nice, comfortable booth at the edge of the restaurant. "I'll be back really soon," she said, turning around and going to the seating chart, using the whiteboard marker to cross off the booth that she had just seated that family in.

She grabbed a few menus, and walked back. She handed them to the adults, and a kids one to the toddler.

"I'll give you a few minutes to make your selections," she said politely with a bow. Lucy smiled at them, before exiting back to the kitchen.

"We were watching you," Ro said with a smirk.

"How thoughtful," Lucy said.

"Yes, we really are thoughtful," Ro said.

"Natsu-kun!" Saran exclaimed, walking into the room with a swish of her hips. "We just got in the order of shrimp you requested a few weeks ago!"

Natsu grinned, nodding to the woman. "Thanks, Sar!" he said, before running out the door.

Ro studied Saran carefully. Saran looked at Ro with confusion in her eyes.

"Saran. I want to talk to you," Ro said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room.

Lucy looked after them. She turned to Jimnee, the only remaining person in the room. He was currently muttering something about aliens.

Lucy could only sigh.

…

Ro looked at Saran.

Saran looked at Ro.

"You like Natsu," Ro stated.

"You like Lucy," Saran countered.

They stared at each other.

"We're screwed," they said simultaneously.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster.**

 **'Kay bye. plsreview.**

* * *

"You're incredible…" Ro breathed out, gaping at the blonde standing besides him. Lucy grinned widely, throwing a chain of car keys to him and winking.

"Enjoy, my friend," she said, smirking. "Don't put my hard work to waste, you hear me?"

Ro gulped. "You're incredible…" he repeated. "Lucy, you're incredible. You're so incredible."

"Well, when I heard you had a car that was old, broken down, and just bad, I couldn't just stand around and do nothing," Lucy scoffed, enjoying the praise that Ro was giving her.

"Hey Lucy, have I ever told you that you're really incredible?" Ro asked.

"You might have mentioned it a few times," Lucy winked.

"You mind if I take it for a spin?" Ro asked. Lucy nodded quickly.

"Duh! I fixed it up for you!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm meeting up with people for the reservation in a few minutes, so just park it at my house after you're done and we'll go for a ride tomorrow morning. I'll text you the address."

Ro nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks a lot for this, Lucy!" he smiled softly, watching as she waved to him and disappeared back into the restaurant.

Ro sighed to himself, playing with the keys in his hands. He really had fallen hard for her…

…

"Hey, Lu-chan! Who was that just now?" Levy asked, nudging her best friend as she took her seat at the giant table in the middle of the room.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Just a co-worker," she explained, looking at the spread of food. She turned to Natsu. "Did Ro really make all of this?"

Natsu shrugged. "I made a few of the appetizers, and Jimnee tried his hands at the desserts, but Ro made everything else," he explained with his head down. "You two seem to be getting close…" he added quietly.

Lucy blinked. "Well, he is a great friend to me," she said with a shrug.

The table fell into an awkward silence with everyone just staring at their meals.

Jellal nudged Erza and gave her a look. Erza started sputtering, looking up at everyone with a nervous smile.

"Um… Jellal and I have an announcement," she started. Lucy inwardly smirked. She knew what they were about to tell everyone, of course. Erza had told Lucy beforehand, and she had told Natsu.

"Gajeel and I have one too," Levy said slowly. Gajeel snorted.

"Hm? What is it?" Mira asked curiously, rubbing her stomach.

"We're expecting!" Erza and Jellal said together with big smiles.

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"A fourth child?!" Laxus exclaimed. Erza nodded proudly, clutching onto Jellal's hand under the table.

"I found out earlier today," she said softly. "I'm already two weeks in. Eugene's going to have a little brother or sister!"

"We're hoping for a girl," Jellal said.

Lisanna nodded. "I would too," she laughed. "After three boys… wow."

"We haven't told Velza or Jay yet," Erza said again. "I'm not sure how they're going to take the news."

"They'll be fine," Lucy assured them. "But seriously, congratulations!"

"Congratulations!" everyone chorused.

"Well, that kinda makes our news seem like baby-play," Levy laughed. "Gajeel and I have set an official date for the wedding."

"Awesome! When is it?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Exactly a month from today. August 20th," Gajeel cut in. "We've also been talking about best man and maid of honor a lot…"

Levy nodded. "And I think we've come to our decisions!" she said.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Wow… well, I think we all know who Levy's maid of honor is," Mira said, smirking at Lucy.

"Lucy, will you be my maid of honor?" Levy asked hopefully.

Lucy's lips parted into an ear-splitting grin.

"Oh my gosh yes! Of course I will!" she exclaimed, taking Levy's hands and squealing like a little girl. "Levy-chan, I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Lu-chan!" Levy said happily.

"Actually, I'm quite interested in hearing who Gajeel's best man is," Gray said with a deep smirk. "Who does Gajeel think of as closest to him?"

Gajeel gave Gray an annoyed glare. "Shut up, Ice Brain," he muttered, before glancing to Natsu. "Salamander. You get the job."

Natsu's eyes widened. "ME?!" he screeched, running up to him. "What the _heck_?!"

Everyone at the table looked shocked.

"Well," Jellal said.

"That's definitely something," Laxus said.

"Awww that's so sweet!" Lisanna said, cupping her hands around her face and grinning.

"So we have Lucy as maid of honor, and Natsu as best man… what an interesting combo," Laxus started again.

"Great. Just great," Lucy sighed, rubbing her temples. "Wonderful. Simply splendid."

"Do you two already know your duties?" Levy asked.

Lucy and Natsu both nodded.

"Sure. We plan the parties, Luce helps Levy during the wedding, I give a few motivational words to Iron Fist, I dance with Levy, Luce dances with Gajeel, Levy throws the bouquet and wedding over," Natsu said proudly.

Gajeel squirmed. "I think you're missin' a few things," he muttered.

"What about the best man and maid of honor dance? Are you two doing that for the wedding?" Wendy asked Levy and Gajeel.

Levy nodded. "Of course! We'll have the bride and groom dance first, then the maid of honor and the best man dance, then the other two," she explained. Lucy sighed. Of course, she couldn't do anything about it, no matter how much she didn't want to dance with Natsu.

"Whatever. This is fine," she said, taking a sip from her cola. Cana looked over.

"Oh right, you weren't here for any of the other weddings," she said. "Also, why aren't you drinking like a twenty-nine-year old woman should be?"

Lucy shrugged. "I'm trying not to get wasted today. I'm going for a drive early tomorrow morning with someone," she explained. "Having a hangover would not be very beneficial towards that."

Natsu looked sceptical, but didn't say anything.

"Ehh still," Cana said, winking. "It's 'aight to drink every once in a while with the consequences in mind."

"Anyway," Erza cut in. "Cana brought up a good point. Lucy, would you be interested in hearing about everyone's weddings?"

Lucy smiled. "That sounds really nice," she said.

"Mine and Jellal's was simple. Everything a traditional wedding has, and decorated in red and blue," Erza said.

"That sounds… really peaceful," Lucy grinned.

"I think we're all missing the point here," Cana droned. "The real question is, how was the _wedding night_?"

Lucy couldn't help the fierce blush from taking over her face. Just as she was about to say something to reduce the awkwardness, Jellal spoke up.

"Intense," he said, causing everyone to look at him with wide eyes. "She finally let me do something to her other than kissing."

Erza was less than pleased with that answer. "That isn't true, Jellal! I let you-"

"I think this conversation just took a turn for the worst," meeped Mira. "Anyway, back to the original topic. Laxus and I had a wedding that was pretty out of control, seeing as I was pregnant during it."

Erza scoffed under her breath. "Disgraceful…" she muttered, not allowing anyone to hear her. Mira ignored her and continued.

"Actually, I was there for your wedding, Mira," Lucy said quietly. "Remember? I hadn't left yet."

Mira's eyes widened. "Oh! That's right. Silly me," she laughed. "You were there for Lester's birth too. The way you acted when you met him again made me forget that."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, when I came over to your house after that whole job interview fiasco, I had met Lester again. I knew he wouldn't recognize me, much less remember me clearly, so I just acted like I never knew him in the first place."

Mira smiled. "That was a good idea," she said. "The other kids might have started a fight with Lester since he already knew you. You know how they can be."

"Yep. What about you, Gray? Juvia?" Lucy said, turning to the couple. Gray grinned.

"Our wedding was decorated with ice. I had personally designed every single sculpture, and had spent hours forming them," he said proudly.

Juvia nodded. "Gray-sama had insisted on doing everything himself, so Juvia had to convince him to hire a few employees to help out," she said. "Juvia wanted the wedding to be under water!"

"Yep. So we had it in a water chamber," Gray said, crossing his arms and smirking. "Pretty sweet, eh?"

Natsu scoffed. "Pshh, anyone could do better than that," he said. Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really Fire Freak? I don't think you have any room to talk! You're not even-" he started, before cutting himself off. He suddenly realized what he was saying, and cautiously looked over to where Lucy was sitting. She seemed calm and composed, but anyone could tell she was trying to hide something inside.

Gray gulped. "Never mind," he said, setting himself back down on his chair. "Continue."

"Well, Evergreen and Elfman aren't here, so they can't tell you about their wedding," Mira said, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Uh. What just happened?" Natsu asked, looking at Lucy with a weird expression.

Everyone else ignored him.

Wendy coughed. "I've been talking about marriage a lot with my boyfriend," she meeped out quietly.

"What?!" Erza screeched, dropping her plates and looking at the woman with wide eyes. "Already?! You're much too young, Wendy!"

"Um… I'm twenty-three," Wendy said slowly. "Didn't you get married at twenty-four, Erza? And Gray and Juvia got engaged when they were twenty!"

Lisanna laughed. "I think we all sometimes forget that you are no longer a little girl, Wendy," she said with a wide smile.

Wendy giggled. "Anyway, I don't think I'll be making the commitment just yet… but I really do think Romeo's the one, you know?"

Lucy sighed. "I definitely know how you feel there…" she said with a dreamy smile.

Natsu looked up. "What? You talkin' about Nashi's dad?"

Everyone froze. They all turned to Lucy with wide eyes, wondering how she was going to handle the situation.

Lucy took a deep breath, closing her eyes and nodding. "Yes, Natsu. I'm talking about Nashi's father."

No one expected Lucy to be so _blunt_ about it. They were expecting her to ignore him at the most.

Natsu gulped. "I've been meanin' to talk to ya' about him, by the way," he said, remembering back to when he walked on her and Ro talking. Lucy shook her head.

"I have no intention of speaking with you about my ex-lover. It is none of your business," she said with a sweet glare directed at the pink-haired man.

"But I wanna know about him! Everyone knows except me!" Natsu exclaimed stubbornly.

"Well, I don't want you to know! If I did, I would have already told you, wouldn't I?" Lucy huffed, getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"You even told _Ro_ about it! Why'd ya?! Huh?! Why do you trust him so much when you've barely even known him for a month?!" Natsu yelled, getting up from his seat and banging his hands on the tabletop. "I've known you since _junior high_! I was your first boyfriend! I was your first lover! I was your _first!_ "

Everyone flinched. This was not looking good.

"Oh just shut up!" Lucy screamed. "You have no room to talk, you little brat! Ro is a good friend to me! Just stop being so damn jealous already!"

"Oh I'd hardly say you two're just _friends_!" Natsu spat. "What were ya' thinking when you cried to him? Huh?!"

"How… oh nevermind. It doesn't matter. You are just too much, you know that?" Lucy hissed. "You jealous brat. You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Dammit, stop gettin' on my nerves!" Natsu yelled, taking a plate and raising it to his head. "Just stop! You've done nothing but hurt me since you came back!"

"You hurt me first, you douche bag! How dare you?! Have you already forgotten what you did to me?!" Lucy screamed, panting for breath.

Lisanna cowered away. She didn't want to be a part of this.

Natsu's nostrils flared. "Are you serious?! Do you even know what you're talking about?! I already told you! I didn't-"

"Just save it!" Lucy screeched.

"No! You know what, I deserve a chance to explain myself. You better hear me out or else I will-"

"AGH! GET OFF ME!"

And just like that, Natsu had pinned her on one of the restaurant walls. His gaze hardened as he squirmed underneath him.

"Listen to me," he hissed under his breath, leaning close to her ears. "LEAVE. EVERYONE," Natsu screamed. He heard shuffling and suddenly two strong arms pulled him away from Lucy.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing to her?!" a voice yelled.

Natsu was expecting Erza, but who it was completely shocked him.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Gray screeched, raising a hand and slapping Natsu across the face.

Natsu blinked.

Lucy gasped for breath, covering herself and sinking to her knees. How could Natsu violate her like that? She… she didn't know what to do.

So she ran.

She picked herself up, grabbed her things, and made a break for it. Lucy couldn't stand being around that sick man anymore. She ran for her life, not bothering to answer the shouts of her name from behind her.

She exited the restaurant, ignoring the stares she got from the citizens. Lucy checked her watch, acknowledging the time.

He'd be done by now. He had to be done by now.

Lucy turned into her driveway, breathing a sigh of relief once she saw him getting out of the car she had fixed for him.

She choked out a sob. He turned to her, his eyes widening out of shock and fear once he saw her.

"RO!" she yelled, running up to him and tackling him into a tight embrace. "He… he… he… he…"

"Lucy?! What… what are you…"

Lucy panted, her feet sore and bruised from running in her heels. She looked up into Ro's eyes and gulped.

He looked back at her.

"He… Natsu, he…"

Ro's gaze hardened.

"What did he do to you," he said in a dangerously low voice.

"He… he… Ro, I can't…" Lucy kept trying to say. She knew she had to tell him what had happened, but she wasn't sure if he could take it.

"Lucy. Answer me. What did he do to you," Ro said again.

Lucy gulped, closing her eyes and remembering the feeling of Natsu's skin against her own. She recalled back ten years, when she had felt it before.

What was he doing to her?!

"I… still…" she started, not daring to believe her own words. She knew she would regret saying this. Especially in front of Ro.

"You still…?" Ro queued.

Lucy's eyes widened as reality sunk in.

"I… I still…" she said, closing her eyes, letting the tears pool in her eyelids. "I still love him."

Ro's eyes widened. He looked at her figure underneath him.

He could only do one thing now, after all. He had to.

"Lucy. Go out with me."

Lucy's eyes shot open. Her head slammed up to look at him. She released her hold on him, and backed away.

"Wh… what?"

Ro clenched his fists. "He doesn't deserve you. I won't hurt you. Please, be my girlfriend. Even if it's just for a little while."

Lucy didn't move a mustle.

Maybe… maybe… maybe this would benefit her. If she went out with him. Maybe she could get over these stupid feelings for Natsu.

If she became Ro's girlfriend, maybe she could let the past go.

Lucy gulped, facing him head on.

She nodded.

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: I think you're going to like this chapter. *Smirks***

* * *

Natsu didn't know what to do. Mere hours ago Lucy had stormed away from the restaurant after he violated her in front of everyone. He knew what he did wasn't appropriate, and a woman like Lucy would definitely end up retaliating in some way, but his selfishness ended up getting the best of him.

Everyone knew something, Natsu was sure of it. All of his friends knew something that he did not, and it was eating him up on the inside. Heck, even Ro knew, and it did not suite well with Natsu that even Lucy's co-worker knew of Lucy's secret. Why couldn't she tell him? Did she really not trust him that much?

The mage kids had been playing around the playground all this while, and Natsu had offered to look after them. His eyes turned to Nashi, who was currently challenging Storm to a race down one of the big slides.

Nashi really was a pretty young girl. She had long flowing salmon-colored hair and deep brown eyes, ones that matched her mother's perfectly. Her overall facial structure was also exactly like Lucy's… but the shape of her lips, the way they so naturally curled upwards… that was a trait Lucy didn't have. Natsu could easily tell what kind of man her father was, just by looking at Nashi.

He had to be a pretty fit man, because Natsu had seen Nashi's stomach one time when Lucy was helping her change, and for a nine-year-old, she surely packed a punch. Even her overall physical abilities were not restricted in the slightest. If she got into a fight with one of the other kids, she would surely come out on top. Her only worthy opponent was, of course, Storm, but he was another story.

Nashi's father probably had red hair. Dark red hair, actually. Natsu wasn't an idiot. He knew red and yellow made pink. Since Lucy was a blonde, it meant Nashi's father was a red-head. Did Natsu know any red-heads? It seemed like Lucy's ex-lover was someone everyone knew already… but how could that be?

Unless, of course, he was someone from their high school or junior high school. If he was, then that would explain how everyone already knew everything… but, if he was, that would mean Lucy had…

Natsu was Lucy's only boyfriend throughout junior and high school… so if Nashi's father really was from their school, it meant that…

Lucy had cheated on him?!

…

"Gray, I've figured it out," Natsu announced later the next morning. He had decided to crash at Gray and Juvia's house for the night, collecting his thoughts. Gray looked over from the kitchen to behind the large pile of food where Natsu was currently sitting. He shot him a look of disgust.

"Stop eating. You're a freaking animal," he sighed, going up to the table and taking every single plate into his hands. "You're dirtying the plates I made! Those took forever, dude! Have some respect."

Natsu scoffed. "Oh please. We all know those plates are bound to break one day anyway," he muttered. "Anyway, I figured out what Lucy is hiding from me."

Gray suddenly dropped the plate he was holding, sending it flying to the ground and shattering into millions of little pieces. Gray's eyes widened as he looked down at the mess he made, sending Natsu into peals of laughter.

"Ahhh crap!" Gray yelled, scrambling around the kitchen, trying to avoid the small pieces on the floor. "Juvia! Can you help me?!" he called out to his wife, who entered the room wearing a long blue robe and her hair tied into a loose bun behind her ears. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly becoming aware of the situation her husband was in.

"Gray-sama! Are you hurt?! Are you okay?" she said, rushing up to him and grabbing a broom. "Gray-sama, what is one plus one? What year are we in? Can you hear me?"

"Juvia, I didn't bang my head," Gray mentioned, patting her shoulder and clearing a path for her to clean up the mess. "Can you pick these up? I have to talk to Natsu about something."

"Juvia will do it, Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed, instantly getting to work. "Just make sure you don't wake up Storm and Sylvia."

Gray nodded, turning back to Natsu and gesturing for him to follow him. Natsu gulped, picking himself out of his seat and walking behind Gray into one of the bedrooms.

"Welp," Natsu coughed as Gray turned to him.

"Word on the street is that you've figured out what Lucy's hiding from you," he said suspiciously. Natsu shrugged.

"Yeah, and frankly, I don't even blame her," he said. Gray's eyes widened.

"You're okay with this?!" he shouted. "How can you possibly be okay with any of this?"

"Well, I wasn't really the best boyfriend to her, was I? It's only natural that she did something like that," Natsu said.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I thought you'd be a little more surprised about this. I mean, she just got up and left! Without even telling you!"

"Yeah. Guess she just couldn't face me after she did it," Natsu said.

"Did it? Did what?" Gray asked, getting more and more confused.

"After she cheated on me, obviously!"

Gray sputtered. He suddenly choked on his own saliva, gasping for breath and giving Natsu the deadliest glare possible.

"SHE DIDN'T CHEAT ON YOU, YOU LITTLE IDIOT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Aghh how dare you even suggest something like that?!"

Natsu frowned. "What?! She didn't?!"

Gray sputtered something in frustration. "You little- gah… enlighten me, Natsu. How in _Fiore_ did you reach that kind of conclusion?"

"Well, I figured out that Nashi's dad went to our high school," he said. "Because everyone seems to know who he is!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot," he said. "You're a real freaking idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!" Natsu yelled.

"Oh I beg to differ. Seriously?! You're the densest person I know!" Gray screeched. "Now get the hell out of my house!"

"Oiii you don't have to be so mean!" Natsu whined. "I was just leavin' anyway!"

"Good! And I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day, you got it?!" Gray said after him.

"You know you love it~!"

"Bastard."

Natsu ignored him. He grabbed his things and made his way towards the exit, not bothering to respond to Juvia's calls to him.

He walked out into the street, thinking to himself.

If Lucy hadn't cheated on him… what had happened? Who was Nashi's father?

Natsu thought about the young girl again. Her face, her body, her hair…

Her hair.

Natsu's eyes widened; he suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and raised his hand to his head. He tugged at his bright pink locks.

Pink.

Pink.

Natsu's jaw dropped.

 _Pink._

…

Today was a great day for a certain blonde.

The shrimp orders had come in early, which meant less work for Lucy, and the restaurant had the full staff in today. Except Natsu, of course, which was a definite plus for her. She couldn't help but get a little worried, though. Natsu had not made an appearance for the past two days at the restaurant, but no one bothered to question it. Apparently, this was something he did often around this time of the month.

"Natsu's period," Lucy stated blankly, staring up at her boyfriend with a less than amused expression. Ro shrugged.

"Well, that's what we call it around here," he said with indifference. "He's ridden with tons of bills and paychecks around this time of the month, so he usually takes a few days off to sort them all out."

"Uh huh…"

"Sucks, though. I kind of wanted to flaunt you," Ro winked. Lucy rubbed her temples, going back to her record book and swishing her pen across Natsu's name. "Okay, okay! Sorry, it was just a joke."

Lucy chuckled inwardly. "It's alright. I'm just really stressed that my good day isn't going to last throughout my shift," she said. "I heard that Natsu called in that he's joining us back at work today. He should be here any minute now."

"You heard correctly, Heartfilia!" Tofuya chimed, walking in and clapping his hands. "And we all have a lot of work to do! Neejim is also coming back from his sick day tomorrow, and the staff has decided to make him a feel-better-soon meal!"

"But… isn't Ro the main chef?" Lucy asked slowly, looking at the blonde-haired man worriedly. "Won't that be too much work for him?"

Tofuya smirked. "Don't worry, Heartfilia! Your boyfriend will be fine, since everyone is helping with the cooking this time around!"

"Her _what_?"

Everyone turned to the door, where Natsu was standing with multiple bags in his clutches. He was wearing a tired expression, and his hair was frazzled and all over the place. The dark circles under his eyes proved that he had not gotten much sleep the previous night.

Ro looked at him dead in the face. "Yes, Natsu. Lucy has a boyfriend now. And it's me."

Lucy visibly gulped as she waited for Natsu's reaction.

Natsu just stared at Ro with a blank expression. He showed absolutely no emotion. He turned to Lucy.

"Whatever. Have a happy life," he said, picking himself up and walking right past them into the lounge area.

Lucy released a shocked breath. Ro was instantly by her side, caressing her shoulder and helping her out of her state of distress.

"Do I care?" Lucy asked herself. "No. Did I want some kind of reaction out of him? Yes."

"Lucy…" Ro started, glancing over to where Tofuya was standing, observing the scene with a thoughtful eye. "Stop. You're only hurting yourself."

"Well, what would you do?" Lucy said lowly. "Whatever. I'm going home."

"Wait, Lucy!" Ro called out, trying to stop her from exiting, but he was too late. Lucy had already slipped out of his fingers.

"Look, I don't know what is going on, and frankly, it isn't really any of my business," Tofuya said, catching Ro's attention. "But don't go after her. She looks like she needs time to herself to think things over. Even if you are her boyfriend, it doesn't mean anything if you abuse that relationship. Let her take her own time, alright?"

Ro sobered down. "I guess you're right," he said. "I'll talk to her tomorrow, I guess."

Tofuya nodded in approval. "Good. Now, you need to help me prepare the food for Nimjee."

"I'll help," a new hot voice said. Saran walked into the room, nodding at Ro and bowing slightly at Tofuya. "What are we making?"

"Sushi!" Tofuya said, licking his lips with a childish smile. "Are you skilled in the kitchen, Saran?"

"I know a few things," Saran replied with a shrug, taking a knife and beginning to cut away at the vegetables. "Pass me that bag of rice, will you? I'll get it going in one of those big pots."

Ro nodded. "Good idea," he said, taking the rice and measuring out a few cups. He handed it to Saran, who started boiling it in a large tub. "You seem to know what you're doing."

"I was a part-time ninja in high school."

Ro looked at her curiously. "A… ninja?"

Saran nodded. "A sushi ninja. I worked at a sushi place," she explained. "I was just too fast for everyone, so my title got dubbed as the 'sushi ninja'."

Tofuya nodded in approval. "Good for you!" he said. "I have to go get some supplies for the party tomorrow. Take care of the food, Ro, and don't let Saran burn anything."

"It's great to see that you think so highly of me, Tofu-san," Saran said in monotone. "I'll be sure to include some tofu in yours."

"Hey!" Tofuya exclaimed. "I'm not some kind of cannibal! I made sure I would never eat a piece of tofu in my life! Don't break my streak!"

Ro laughed mentally at how childish the respected waiter could be.

"Don't worry about it, Tofuya-san," he said. "I'll make sure Saran doesn't do anything _life threatening_."

Tofuya deadpanned him a look. "Thanks, Ro. That really puts my mind at ease," he said in monotone.

Saran giggled, making Ro look at her curiously. After Tofuya left, he turned to her.

"That's the first time I've ever heard you laugh," he observed. "You know, except the times when you fake-laugh in front of Drag- I mean, Natsu."

Saran rolled her eyes, punching him swiftly in his stomach. "Shut up," she hissed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not completely devoid of human emotion, you know."

"Right…" Ro said, turning back to the meal. "Pass me the mixing spoon, will you? I heard something about Nimjee loving pumpkin soup."

Saran sighed, handing over the giant spoon and giving Ro a suggestive look. "Well, how are things with Lucy going?" she asked.

Ro chuckled. "They're going fine. After all, it's only been two days," he said.

"I could have sworn she and Natsu-kun had something going on," Saran said, looking at him thoughtfully. Ro gulped. He couldn't tell her the truth, of course, but that didn't mean he wanted to lie.

"Oh. I see," he settled on saying. "The truth is, she has spoken about him a lot when we're alone."

Saran scrunched her nose tightly. "Her attention's on Natsu-kun? You have to fix that, Idiot!" she said, hitting him across the shoulder. "Besides, I'm thinking about making my move on Natsu-kun soon."

Ro raised an eyebrow. "Good luck, I guess," he said with a shrug. "I mean, I'd offer you some motivational advice, but honestly, I am not the right guy for something like that."

"Natsu-kun doesn't pay attention to my looks… so that throws off the whole 'seducing' plan," Saran said. "And that really sucks. Seducing is what I'm best at, of course."

They didn't look like it, but Ro and Saran had been good friends for quite a while. When Saran first joined the restaurant staff, she was avoided by the other waiters because of her dangerously good lucks. Ro was the only one who tried to talk to her, and she greatly appreciated his friendship. To be honest, Saran had always had a bit of a crush on him, but it was all overpowered by Natsu.

"I don't really think my relationship with Lucy is going to last very long," Ro said bluntly. He turned to Saran, who was looking at him in surprise. "Everything is just… gah, I don't know. I don't consider myself as a good match for her."

Saran rolled her eyes. "You really are a ditz when it comes to having a girlfriend, aren't you?" she said in a less than joking manner. "No matter, your momma Saran is here to help you out, thank Mavis."

"Oh, really? And what are you going to help me with?" Ro asked, nudging her elbow. "After all, the guy you're after doesn't even spare you a second glance. Talk about humiliating."

"Okay, you know what…" Saran mumbled, giving the raven-haired man a disgustingly sweet glare. "I don't need insults about my love life from the guy who thinks his girlfriend doesn't love him."

Ro shrugged. "It's a fact."

"Agh, you can really be clueless sometimes!" Saran exclaimed, throwing her arms up and neglecting the pot of pumpkin stew in front of her. "How can you think Lucy doesn't like you? Even just a little?! Why else would she agree to you being her boyfriend, Idiot!"

"Well, I feel like she's using me as a substitute for her… ex-boyfriend," Ro said slowly, carefully avoiding Lucy's past relationship with Natsu.

Saran gave him a look. "Women don't have _substitutes_. They're way too prideful for that," she said, crossing her arms. "If anything, she's trying to forget about her past lover by enjoying life for a change. There's a difference."

Ro huffed. "Whatever. I'm going to keep believing what I want to believe," he said stubbornly.

"Oh would you just shut up for a second?!" Saran screeched, grabbing onto Ro's shoulder and looking at him dead in the eyes. Her blonde hair flew into his face as he winced and tried to back away. "Listen. Do you or do you not hold Lucy close to your heart?"

Ro immediately nodded. "I do. Of course I do," he insisted.

Saran nodded. "Good," she approved. "You have to show her that, and you better make sure she accepts it."

Ro gulped. "O-okay," he muttered.

Saran tutted to herself. "You big idiot," she said, pushing him away and putting on a big grin.

Ro looked at her with a small smile. "You don't look so bad when you're smiling," he said nonchalantly.

Saran just glared at him. "Oh shut up!"

Neither of them noticed a tall blonde man listening in on their conversation from behind the door. Tofuya sighed, smirking silently to himself and shaking his head.

"You both are idiots," he muttered to himself. He let out another sigh, before leaning off the wall and beginning to walk away, muttering to himself. "Saran likes Ro. Ro likes Saran. This could be fun."

…

Natsu panted, running through the streets of Magnolia, trying to find a certain building.

There was only one person he knew that could possibly know the real truth.

Lucy's best friend had to know. Levy _had_ to have some kind of knowledge about this. About why Lucy went away. Why Nashi had the same hair color as him. _Who her father was._

He stared at the apartment complex in front of him. Natsu gulped, swinging the front door open and immediately starting to sprint up the stairs.

He held his knees as he pounded the front door to Levy's flat a few times. He was exhausted, but he had to know if it was the truth.

"Who is it- Oh. Natsu," Levy said, opening the door. She gestured for him to come in. Natsu gladly accepted the invitation and sprawled into the living room. Levy took her seat on the couch besides Gajeel, who just gave Natsu a look.

"Salamander, I still haven't forgiven you about what you did to Lucy that other night," he said bluntly.

Natsu didn't even bother.

"Nashi… she's my… she's my… she's my daughter, isn't she," he panted out, giving the two of them desperate looks. He coughed loudly, trying to clear his throat but failing to do so.

Levy and Gajeel's eyes widened a considerable amount. While Levy looked shocked and confused, Gajeel just smirked. He turned to his fiancé with a pointed look.

"Pay up. I believe you owe me fifty-thousand jewel."


	14. Chapter 14

"I cannot believe that I am giving into this," Gray muttered, handing over a wad of cash to a very proud looking Gajeel Redfox. Gajeel licked his lips and accepted all the money he was given with open hands.

"I'll take that," he said, watching as Erza reluctantly gave him a few bills. "And that, and that too!"

"Sore winner," Laxus scoffed.

Juvia only smiled. "Juvia is so proud of Gajeel-kun!" she exclaimed, giving her oldest friend a side hug. Gajeel smirked.

"This was so totally worth it," he said, counting the bills and smiling proudly to himself.

"Lemme get something straight," Natsu cut in, looking at all of them in a bored way. "You all placed bets on when I would figure it out?"

Mira shook her head, still not giving Gajeel the money she owed him. "Actually, we placed bets on _how_ you would find out. We all knew you would, of course. I mean, how couldn't you find out about your ex-girlfriend's baby which is actually your own."

Natsu sighed. "Whatever," he said quietly, crossing his arms and looking away from everyone. Gray rolled his eyes.

"Stop sulking around, loser."

"Oi, you wanna go Ice Princess?" Natsu yelled, glaring at Gray with all the strength he had left. "Besides, I still have multiple bones to pick with you!"

"And I honestly could not care less," Gray said bluntly.

"Mirajane Dreyer, you better hand over that fifty-thousand right this instant," Gajeel said, holding out his hands to Mira. Mira just moaned under his gaze.

"Oh come on, Gajeel… we're all friends here, right?" she tried, not earning her any sympathetic looks.

"Gimme," Gajeel said impatiently.

"Whatever! I'm still going to win the next one! There's only four days left!" Mira cried out stubbornly.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "More bets? Seriously? Do I even want to know about what this one is?" he asked slowly. "Besides, you all know it's true. If it's any kind of matchmaking bet, Mira's obviously gonna win."

"She didn't win this one," Gajeel muttered under his breath, causing Mira to break into a sweat.

"Would this even really count as matchmaking?" Gray asked pointedly. "I mean, I guess we kinda matched up Natsu and Nashi… but not in any kind of romantic way. Oh Mavis, now I'm thinking about it."

Natsu snickered at that, before quieting down and thinking to himself.

"Is Natsu-san alright?" Juvia asked worriedly, walking up to Natsu and placing a hand on his shoulder blade.

"I mean, I guess I should be kind of happy about this…" Natsu started, looking around. "But I mean, Lucy has a boyfriend now!"

Cana, who hadn't been taking part in the conversation until now, dropped her glass of booze.

"Lucy has a _what_?!" she yelled, getting up from her seat and making her way to Natsu. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him close to her face. "You little _idiot_! How could you let her get another man?! Don't you have any sense of emotion at all?!" she screamed.

Natsu winced.

"Well… I mean… it isn't really up to me who she decides to date," he said.

"Yep. Natsu's an idiot alright," Loke spoke up, sipping at his wine. "You had a daughter with her, and now you're letting her go to some other man? How shameful."

"I'm disappointed in you, Natsu," Erza said boldly. "Lucy has always held you dear to her heart, but now that you've so selfishly let her go, I doubt she'll come running back."

"How do ya figure?" Natsu asked curiously.

Erza sighed. "Natsu you're an idiot," she started.

"I think we've established that," Gray said.

"Anyway," Erza said, turning back to Natsu. "You were Lucy's first boyfriend. You were her first love, and you were also her best friend before that. Lucy trusted you with her life, and also her first time. You've already had a confrontation about her and her new boyfriend, I suppose, and now that you've let her go, she won't come back, because she has someone new now."

"You've been replaced," Gajeel said bluntly.

"Substituted," Gray added.

"Thrown into the garbage," Loke cut in.

"I get it!" Natsu yelled, crossing his arms and glaring at everyone. "I hate you all!"

"It's the harsh reality, boy. Get used to it," Gray shrugged.

Natsu spun around to face him.

"I really don't like you," he said, his slanted eyes narrowing. "What am I supposed to do…"

Mira gave him a sympathetic smile. "Natsu… it'll be alright. Don't worry," she assured.

"You need to tell her the truth about what happened with Lisanna," Laxus said.

Everyone could agree with that.

"How, though…? She doesn't listen to anything I say at all!" Natsu protested.

"You need to somehow force her to listen to you," Gray said thoughtfully. "You know, in a way that doesn't make it seem like you're trying to sexually abuse her."

"You're one ta' talk, you stupid stripper!" Natsu bellowed. Gray winced.

"Ouch," he said with a shrug. "Anyway, you need to go about this in the most subtle way possible."

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me with your amazing views on Lucyism," Natsu rolled his eyes.

Gray brightened up. "With pleasure!" he exclaimed. "Don't bring it up. Let _her_ bring it up."

Laxus nodded. "Gray is right. She won't listen to you if you talk first. Then again, she wouldn't really listen anyway."

"Thanks," Natsu hissed. "What about Nashi?"

"Get to know her!" Mira gushed. "But this time, as your _daughter_."

Natsu let out a slow, shaky breath. "I… I don't know. She's like a stranger to me."

"She doesn't have to be," Levy squeaked. Everyone turned to look at her. "I know my Lu-chan. She's hurt, yes, but she can look past it if you can earn her trust again. You can't give up," she said firmly.

"Nashi-nee is the same way," Juvia spoke. "Juvia knows Nashi-nee very well. She is confident in Natsu-san's ability to become her father again."

"The pink girl loves you," Gajeel stated. "Don't be such a pushover. Grow some balls and go make things right with your wife."

"My _what_?!" Natsu screeched, confused.

"Nevermind," Gajeel said with an eye roll.

Natsu huffed. "Whatever. I have to go to work," he said quietly, getting out of his seat and walking towards the door. "I'll ask to meet Nashi sometime soon, I guess."

"Good," Erza nodded in approval. "Good luck."

"Hm," Natsu hummed, exiting Levy and Gajeel's apartment with a huff.

…

Lucy sighed, taking her record book and writing down Panda's name in the absent list. She frowned, softly clicking her pen close.

"She's out again?" Ro said, coming up from behind her. Lucy nodded.

"Yeah. I'm getting a little worried, honestly," she said quietly.

"I'm sure it's fine," Ro assured her. "Where's Natsu?"

"Don't know," Lucy shrugged. "And don't really care."

"That hurts, Luce," Natsu's voice chimed in. Lucy and Ro turned to see him standing in the kitchen doorway.

Lucy scoffed, not wanting to deal with him at the moment. She turned to Ro, grabbed his hand, and ran into the lounge.

"Stop running away, dammit!" Natsu yelled, following her and turning her to face him. Lucy didn't answer. She avoided his gaze. "Dammit, Lucy! I just wanted to ask if I could have a day with Nashi!"

Lucy stopped. Her eyes widened as she stared at the pink-haired man in shock.

"What?" she asked in a low voice. "What business do you have with my daughter?"

Natsu bit his lip. He couldn't tell her that he knew about Nashi, because that would only cause her more stress. Natsu didn't want that.

"I… I promised I'd take her to _Twilight Ogre_ ," he said quietly. He winced as Ro's stare on him hardened.

"Why would you take Nashi to the competition?" he asked him with a suspicious glare. "What business do you have with Nashi, anyway?"

Lucy groaned. "Ro, please stay out of this," she said with a frown.

Ro looked taken aback, but didn't protest to her request.

"So can I spend the day with Nashi?" Natsu asked hopefully. "I don't want to break my promise to her."

Lucy, of course, knew he was lying. Natsu just wanted to spend time with Nashi because he liked her. She bit her lip. Was this really such a good idea? There was no way Natsu was going to take Nashi to _Twilight Ogre_. He'd never take a friend to his own restaurant's number one competition.

"Fine. Whatever. Take her wherever you want," Lucy said slowly. "She's at Macao's place with the other kids. Do whatever you want with her. I don't care."

Natsu instantly brightened up. "Cool! Ro, can I talk to ya' for a sec?" he said, gesturing for the raven-haired man to follow him.

Ro did, and Natsu led them to the back alleyway. Ro looked at his boss in confusion.

"Why are we here?" he asked slowly. Natsu turned around and stared straight into Ro's eyes. His gaze hardened.

"So you're Lucy's boyfriend now?" he started.

Ro's eyes widened. "Uh. Yeah."

Natsu didn't budge. "How did that happen."

Ro tried to carefully avoid his gaze as he spoke. "She… came to me after someone did something bad to her, and I asked her to be my girlfriend since I wouldn't let her get hurt," he said with a pointed look.

Natsu quirked an eyebrow. "What? Someone did something to her?" he asked, his fists clenching. "Who was it? What did they do?"

Ro rolled his eyes. "You can be really clueless sometimes," he said, stating the obvious. "It was _you_. You hurt her, both physically and emotionally."

Natsu didn't say anything. Of course, he knew exactly what Ro was referring to, but why would Lucy tell Ro something like that? Did she really trust him that much?

"I forbid it," Natsu said strongly. "You aren't allowed to be in a relationship with my restaurant's manager. I don't want you to be a distraction to her."

Ro finally had enough. "Oh cut it out," he hissed. "Don't make up excuses because you don't want her to be going out with someone. Newsflash, buddy. It isn't your job to tell her what to do in life."

Natsu looked taken aback by his words. Ro had never snapped at anyone like that. He was much too careful for something like that.

"Maybe not, but I will decide her future relationship partners," Natsu stated proudly. Ro just looked at him.

"You have no say in the matter," he said. "You have absolutely no say at all."

"Yes I do! You don't know everything, Ro," Natsu said. "You don't know… _who I am to her_."

Ro couldn't help but sneer at him. "Oh please. I know all too well who you are, and what relationship you have to her. Lucy told me everything."

"No she didn't!" Natsu yelled, grabbing Ro by his collar and pushing him against the restaurant's brick wall. He looked hard at the tall man underneath his hold, but was surprised to see him completely calm and composed.

"Yes, she did. Now let go of me, and let's settle this like men," Ro said, his eyes narrowing.

"I will not!" Natsu bit back.

Ro's glare hardened. "Look, Natsu. Lucy and you might have had a relationship in the past, but hear me loud and clear when I say this; _Lucy isn't your girlfriend anymore_."

"I…" Natsu said, lost for words. His grip on Ro only hardened after that. "That isn't true! I… I'll take her back!"

"I'm not going to hurt her, like you did!" Ro yelled.

"You'll never be a good boyfriend to her!" Natsu screamed, shutting his eyes closed tightly and wincing at Ro's harsh words.

"Yeah, maybe so," Ro said, making Natsu look up at him in shock. "But at least I won't _leave her pregnant for another girl_!"

And just like that, Natsu's grip completely let go. Ro fell to the floor, rubbing his head and finally showing the pain he just experienced. Natsu looked down at him with his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't.

"Lucy… she… she told you about that…" he muttered, trying to come to his senses about the situation.

Ro just continued glaring up at him.

"I might not be the best match for her, but I'm much better than you could ever be!" he yelled, getting up and shaking Natsu violently. "Lucy is _mine_ now. You hear me? _Mine_. And I don't appreciate it when other people try and take what is mine."

Natsu's eyes snapped open. He instantly recalled back many years, when he had told someone that exact same thing.

 _Natsu's ears perked up. He heard something; something that sounded a lot like his girlfriend's voice. He instantly leapt up, pushing the wall behind him for a boost and beginning to run to where he heard the voice._

" _Luce?!" he said, opening the door to one of the janitor's closets on the third floor of the high school. His eyes widened as they landed on Lucy sprawled on the floor with a guy towering over her. Natsu saw his wicked grin as he aimed onto Lucy's petite figure._

 _Natsu didn't say anything. He forcefully grabbed him off of his girlfriend and punched him right across the face._

" _Gahh!" he spouted, trying to wiggle free from Natsu's grasp. "Who is it- oh… GAHH!"_

 _Natsu twisted his nose, a fountain of blood trickling down his thumb as he threw him aside. He picked up Lucy's frail figure, watching him closely as she kept trying to wrap her arms around him._

" _Na… Natsu…"_

 _Natsu turned to him with the most dangerous glare he had ever given anyone. Even harder than the ones he had given Gray._

" _Lucy is_ mine _. You hear me?_ Mine. _And I don't appreciate it when other people try and take what's mine."_

Natsu stared up at Ro, and for once, he felt vulnerable towards him.

He was right, after all. Ro had completely justified reasons to want to protect his girlfriend. Right now, Natsu was an outsider, and Lucy belonged to Ro.

"You got it?" Ro said, panting for breath, trying to calm himself down.

Natsu closed his eyes, ready to surrender.

"You win," he said as quietly as possible, trying not to break down. He didn't want to believe it, but he had to. "But just know one thing."

Natsu turned around, prompting Ro to speak.

"What's that?" Ro asked, not releasing his glare on Natsu's back.

Natsu looked back, his head gazing at Ro's.

"I _never_ cheated on Lucy. I want to tell her what really happened that night, but I can't, because frankly, I don't deserve her forgiveness."

Ro's eyes widened.

"...What?"

"I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to kiss ba… Agh. I don't know how to explain it, but just know that I never _meant_ to hurt Lucy."

"You did anyway," Ro said pointedly. "And now that she's trying to move on and enjoy her life, you're not letting her."

Natsu nodded.

"I know, but how can I help it?" He let out a low chuckle. "She was the first person I ever truly cared about, after all."

Ro didn't answer. He looked away and tried not to say anything. Natsu deserved to know, of course, but what would Lucy think of him if he told him?

"She…" Ro started, closing his eyes and trying to recall what happened that night. "She… she still…"

He couldn't do it.

"What?" Natsu asked, confused.

Ro shook his head.

"Nah. Nevermind."

…

Natsu stared down at the small pinkette in front of him. The little girl looked back up at him in equal confusion.

"Natsu?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Natsu tried not to frown.

"Let's go to the zoo," he said happily.

Nashi immediately grinned. "Yay! Cool! I like the zoo," she said. "Is Mommy coming?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nope! It's just gonna be you and me for today!" he said. Nashi tilted her head a bit.

"Why?"

"Mommy's working right now," Natsu explained. "You're okay with going to the zoo with just me, right?"

Nashi appeared to mentally shrug.

"Okay! I'm all fired up now!" she said with a giant grin.

Natsu couldn't help but smile.

"Oh yeah! We're fired up and ready to go see some animals!" he exclaimed, taking her hand and swinging her over his shoulders.

"Natsu?" Nashi asked suddenly, just as they were about to enter the Magnolia Zoo. Natsu hummed in reply.

"Yeah, Nash?" he asked, looking up at her with an encouraging smile.

Nashi looked uncomfortable for just a second.

"Can I… would it be alright if I… called you 'Dad'?" she asked very quietly, but loud enough for Natsu to hear her. "Just for today! I'll go back to calling you Natsu tomorrow!"

"Guh…" Natsu sputtered, clearly shocked out of his wits.

Nashi continued, "It's just that… I never really knew my daddy. Mommy won't tell me anything about him, and you're the only person who I've ever considered calling my dad. You know?"

Natsu gulped. He wasn't exactly sure what to say, but instead of denying her, he accepted. Maybe this would be a good opportunity.

"Yeah, haha. Sure," he agreed with the biggest smile.

"Yee!" Nashi cheered, climbing off of his shoulders and smiling up at her father.

"Now, which exhibition would you like to see first?" Natsu asked.

Nashi looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Um… the flamingos and the manatees," she said happily. "I heard from Aunt Lisanna that they have a joint tank!"

Natsu nodded. "Oh yes, that's right. Lisanna works here," he said, tapping his head for his cluelessness. "Well, okay. Let's see the flamingos and the manatees first, then!"

Natsu and Nashi walked through the zoo, earning themselves very adorable looks from the other people around. That's right, of course. The two of them looked like the ideal father and daughter couple.

"Here we are!" Nashi said excitedly, looking at the bright pink flamingos standing on a beach-setting. In the water, the two of them noticed the manatees swimming around.

"Yo! Natsu! Nashi!" Lisanna's voice cut through their thoughts. Natsu and Nashi both turned to see the white-haired woman standing with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a uniform which all the zoo staff sported, and her shoulder-length hair was tied back into a half-ponytail.

"Oh, hey, Lis," Natsu waved. Nashi smiled too.

"Hi, Aunty Lisanna!" she exclaimed, running up to her and giving her a small hug. Lisanna grinned, walking up to Natsu and lightly punching him on his shoulder.

"Are you neglecting work for Nashi?" she teased, giving him a look.

Natsu laughed nervously. "Um… I wanted to see you?" he tried, forming words that he didn't really mean.

"Right, right. Like I believe that," Lisanna rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to spend time with Nashi today, and I guess the zoo was nearby so we just kinda came," Natsu explained. Lisanna nodded.

"Cool. The zoo's great, don't you think," she winked, aiming her question towards Nashi. Nashi nodded.

"Yeah! The flamingos are awesome!" she said. "The manatees are cool too, but they'll never beat the flamingos!"

Natsu nodded in agreement. "Yup! I agree!" he said, patting his daughter's head. "Besides, they are the best color ever, right, Nash?"

Nashi nodded. "Pink!"

Lisanna sighed. "No way. The manatees are way cooler," she said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

Natsu and Nashi immediately turned on her.

"How dare you!" Nashi screeched.

"Lis, I'm hurt. I thought we were friends," Natsu said.

Lisanna shrugged. "All's fair in flamingo and manatee war," she joked.

"Anyway," Natsu said, chucking as Nashi turned bright red. "I thought you were taking a day off today."

"Bickslow had to work," Lisanna explained. "I didn't really have anything else to do, so I came in anyway."

Natsu nodded, understanding.

"Daddy, can we go see the flamingos up close?" Nashi suddenly asked.

Natsu's eyes widened as he turned to look back at Lisanna. She seemed just as surprised as he had first been.

"No way… Natsu, you told her?" she asked.

"Told me what?" Nashi asked innocently.

"Gahh!" Natsu yelled, quickly shaking his head and giving Lisanna a stern look.

"Oh," Lisanna said. "Then…?"

"She just wanted to call me that," Natsu said. "It doesn't… mean anything."

Lisanna smiled. "I think it's sweet," she said.

Natsu shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Lisanna nudged him. "Oh please. Don't act like you don't secretly love this," she said with a smirk. She started winking at him super fast, making Natsu moan in displeasure.

"Agh. Stop it, Lis," he said, covering his eyes with the back of his hands and sighing. "Oh well, I should get going with Nashi. I told her I'd spend the day with her alone, and if I'm talking to you for so long, she might think I ditched her for you."

Lisanna grinned. "And we wouldn't want that now, would we?" she laughed. "Besides, logic has never really been your thing, so stop trying."

"Ouch," Natsu mocked hurt. "You're so harsh."

Lisanna shrugged. "You better get used to it."

Natsu lightened up. "Don't worry, I have."

Nashi looked between the two of them curiously, her eyelids batting open and closed as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"Is Aunty Lisanna Dad's girlfriend?" she asked with wide eyes.

Natsu and Lisanna both sputtered. While Lisanna looked disgusted, Natsu looked shocked and quickly shook his head.

"What?!" he cried. "No! Absolutely not!"

Lisanna rolled her eyes. "We all know he loves me, but I'm sorry, Natsu. You're forever friendzoned."

Natsu glared at her. "That was not needed!" he said, leaving Lisanna in her fit of giggles. "I… I love someone else." Natsu stroked Nashi's hair affectionately. "Her name is Nashi and she has the same color hair as me."

Nashi laughed, allowing her father to play with her hair.

Lisanna watched the scene with affectionate eyes. She wished Lucy would just come to her senses about Natsu, because damn the two of them were stubborn. She guessed that was why they made such a perfect pair.

"You know, in a way, this is really all my fault," she started softly, not bothering to hide her feelings from her oldest childhood friend. Natsu looked over at her with concern written on his face.

"Oh c'mon, Lis. Don't be like that," he said, going up to her and rubbing her shoulder. "Whatever happened was my own fault. You know that, I know that… I just need to somehow make Lucy see that all of it was just one giant misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry," Lisanna whispered, looking up at Natsu. "I was so desperate for you! I can't… I honestly can't believe what a mess your lives are at the moment. And it's all my fault."

"Nah, quit telling yourself that," Natsu rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Seriously, Lis. You can be kinda childish sometimes."

"Oh stop that!" Lisanna said, hitting him roughly on his shoulder. "Honestly, I till can't come to terms with the fact that you still consider me a friend."

"It's all cool," Natsu said slowly. "But, I need your advice with what to do with Lucy. Please, you might be the only person who can actually help me."

Lisanna raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me for help? This must be serious. What's up?"

Natsu glanced over to where his daughter was standing, looking over the railing and trying to touch one of the flamingo's feathers.

"Not now. Can you come over to Fairy Tail later tonight?" he asked. "I don't wanna invite you over just in case someone were to find out. That really wouldn't look very good."

Lisanna scrunched her nose and nodded. "Good point. I'll make sure to drop by after Lucy's shift is over," she said. "When does she go home?"

"Usually around six," Natsu said.

"I'll cancel my date, then," Lisanna winked. Just as Natsu was about to protest, she shook her head and raised a hand to silence him. "Relax, I can go out for dinner with him anytime I'd like. Besides, your food rocks."

Natsu smirked, agreeing to the plan. "Yup. It's much better than the fancy restaurants couples usually go out to, amiright?"

Lisanna rolled her eyes.

"Sure."

…

"I'll see you around, Ro," Lucy said. Natsu's ears perked up as he watched the blonde gather her things and click the clipboard back into its place on the wall. He noticed Ro go up to her and give her a high five.

"Good job today," he said. Lucy nodded.

"You too," she smiled, before slipping on her after-work gear and waving to him. She then exited the room, not bothering to cast Natsu a second glance.

"I'll be off too," Ro said, aiming his talk towards his boss who was sitting by the counter and writing in the recipe book. "Are you working on something?"

Natsu nodded, holding up the book to show him the different procedural steps to making the new dish.

"Fried Chinese rice with shrimp balls and soy sauce," he said. "Would milk go well with this? Or mochi."

"Definitely the ice cream," Ro said, taking his keys and offering him a wave. "I'll… yeah. Bye."

"Nice work today!" Natsu tried saying, but Ro had already left.

Natsu sighed, leaning back in his seat and surrendering to the lost cause. He knew he had to talk to Lucy about all of this soon, but the question was _when_.

"Natsu-kun," a new voice said, interrupting his thought process. Natsu looked over to where a very nervous looking Saran was standing. Her hands were behind her back, and she had changed into a very cute outfit.

"Hey, Sar," Natsu greeted, going back to his work. "What's up? Are ya' going out tonight?" he asked, addressing her state of dress.

"Actually," Saran started. "I wanted to talk to you about something. Rather, I wanted to inform you of something that I've been feeling for a while now."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, alright. Go for it," he said with an encouraging smile. He set down his pencil and got out of his chair, putting his hands in his pockets and offering her time to speak.

Saran appeared to be having a mental battle with herself. Natsu didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was pretty sure he got the gist of it.

"I… _I have feelings for you, Natsu-kun!_ "

Natsu's eyes widened as he heard those words. Saran had always been an excellent worker, of course. She had joined around the same time Ro had. He had always thought she liked Ro… but this? He wasn't really expecting this at all. There was no way Natsu could be anything more than a supporting friend to her, because, after all, his heart was reserved for a certain special blonde woman. He had to deny Saran, of course. He had to deny her confession.

Natsu gulped a huge amount of air, prepared to break her heart in the absolute worst way possible. He just hoped she could take it.

"I'm… I'm flattered, honestly," he started slowly, hoping to reduce the pain. If he was right, she had been feeling this way for quite a while, so being rejected had to hurt. "And, I don't mean to hurt you… but…"

Saran seemed to understand.

"Heh, don't worry, I know," she said with a shrug. "Don't you dare act surprised, Natsu-kun. It's quite obvious you're in love with Lucy."

Natsu's eyes widened. "I- I'm sorry!"

"Don't be," Saran said with a low laugh. "Sure, it hurts, but I mean… this has been eating me up for quite a while now. I just had to tell you how I was feeling before I gave up on you for good."

Natsu didn't seem to understand. "What…? I don't understand," he said, placing his point on the pedestal. "I thought you liked me, aren't you going to keep trying?"

Saran shook her head. "I know a lost cause when I see one."

Natsu couldn't help but see the similarities between her situation with him, and his own situation with Lucy. Was Lucy's love for him really now just a memory? Was this all really just one big lost cause? Should he even continue trying after all this time? Was Ro really her soulmate from heaven?

"Thanks," Natsu sighed, crossing his arms and taking his notebook into his arms. "Thanks for this, I mean. I know I've hurt you a little… but yeah, thanks."

Saran nodded. "Okay," she said softly, grabbing her things and quickly making her exit.

Natsu sighed, walking back into the lounge area where Lisanna was currently seated. He shot her a small smile, taking the restaurant's keys from her hands and sitting down across from her.

"Did you get in okay?" he asked. Lisanna nodded.

"Yep, thanks," she said. "I heard everything."

Natsu sighed. "I knew you would."

Lisanna gave him a concerned look. "You did the right thing. Letting her down in the easiest way was for the best."

"Whatever," Natsu scoffed.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?" Lisanna asked, crossing her arms and giving him a hard stare.

"Is 'Lucy' a good answer?" he asked. "Lis, I don't even know what to do. Now that I know I am the father of her daughter… after what I did to her back in high school, it isn't even right for me to expect anything from her ever again. I definitely don't deserve it, that's for sure."

"She isn't going to believe you if you tell her about that whole incident back then," Lisanna stated firmly. "Trust me, I already tried explaining it to her. She won't listen."

"Then what do I do?"

"Convince her that Nashi is your daughter; not only hers."

Natsu's eyes widened.

"That she's… my daughter?" he asked in confusion. "But she already knows that!"

Lisanna rolled her eyes. "I know that, dummy. Lucy knows that too, but she has never acknowledged you as Nashi's father. Convince her of that, and she'll figure the rest out easily. Show her that you think of Nashi as your own flesh and blood, and she might just think that everything that happened in the past didn't mean anything at all."

Natsu thought about this. Maybe this could work. If he could somehow be persistent enough to make her see him as Nashi's dad, she would soon accept him as a part of her life!

Natsu sighed, sending Lisanna the biggest smile he'd given her in a while.

"Thanks, Lis."

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Welp, this was definitely one of my longer chapters, that's for sure.**

 **Alrighty. Woahhh a lotta stuff happened, argh. So you finally got to see how Natsu and Lisanna's relationship is currently. They're still really close, even though everything was really shitty back then with her love for Natsu.**

 **Anywayyy I really enjoyed writing that scene with Ro and Natsu, haha. C'mon Natsu, dude, stop being so dense and go get yo girl back!**

 **Also, I've been seeing a lot of worried readers stating that they don't think NaLu is gonna happen. *cough cough* THIS IS A NALU STORY, FOLKS. No spoilers, but. I mean.**

 **Yeah.**

 **See ya next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Uh... before we get into... _this_. I just wanted to say very quickly that I wrote two new one shots a few days ago. (One of them is Gruvia).**

 **Kay.**

 **I have nothing else to say here. Good luck reading. :)**

* * *

"That was a horrible movie," Lucy said, exiting the theater with her boyfriend at her sight. "And who takes their girlfriend out on a movie date? That's such a cliché thing to do!"

"I happened to like that movie very much!" Ro said, mocking hurt by placing a hand on his chest. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"If you liked it, then you have just as bad of a taste in movies as that female protagonist has in men!" she exclaimed, turning on the road and walking towards Ro's car. "I mean, I thought for sure she was going to end up with her new boyfriend! Then that childhood lover of hers just came crashing in and ruined their perfect relationship!"

Ro winced at how similar the movie's story was to Lucy's own. "Yeah, I guess so. Did you really think her new boyfriend was a better match for her?" he asked slowly. Lucy thought about it, before shaking her head.

"... No, I don't exactly think that. I was just saying that she and her new boyfriend were in a really good relationship. It was her own stupid fault for realizing she still had feelings for that childhood lover of hers," she said. Ro's mouth made an 'o' shape as he took in the information.

"Oh," he said simply, putting his hands in his pockets to grab his keys and open the passenger seat for her. "After you."

"Such a gentleman," Lucy snorted, playfully punching him in his gut and climbing into the car. Ro did the same. He got into the driver's seat, and looked at her with a smile.

"Alright, should I drop you off at your place?" he asked. Lucy nodded with a grateful grin.

"Yes, thank you," she said, taking out her phone and scrolling through her _GuildMates_ feed. "Looks like Gray and Juvia have been going sightseeing with their kids…" she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Ro asked, looking back at her as he turned the car on. Lucy quickly shook her head.

"Nothing. Just friends of mine," she said, before stopping a very peculiar post. "No way!"

"What happened?" Ro asked curiously.

"Levy's picking out her wedding dress without me?! And _Natsu's_ with her?!" Lucy exclaimed, looking at her phone in shock. "Is something like that even allowed? I'm her best maid!"

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation," Ro said, turning into the blonde's apartment complex driveway. "Well, here we are."

Lucy, who was still looking at her phone and scrolling through the comments of Levy's text post, only nodded, feeling for the car handle and not looking up.

"Thanks, Ro. For tonight," she said, still not taking her eyes off the device.

Ro suddenly decided to try something.

"Lucy, can I kiss you?"

And just like that, Lucy snapped her phone closed and looked up at him with a shocked gaze.

"Can you what?" she asked, hoping she had misheard him.

"Kiss you. Can I?" Ro asked, offering her a small smile.

"Um…" Lucy mumbled, looking at him with the biggest eyes ever. "I'm sorry, but why?"

Ro sighed. "Well, you're my girlfriend. And boyfriends like to kiss their girlfriends."

"I…" Lucy said, shocked for words. It wasn't that she wanted to hurt his feelings or something, she just wasn't exactly ready for something like that. "I'm sorry… but I just don't think we're that… far in our relationship," she said, mumbling the last part. Too bad Ro already heard her.

"Lucy, let me ask you something," he said, looking away. "Do you really love me?"

"I… I think I need more time to answer that kind of question, Ro!" Lucy exclaimed, trying her hardest not to stutter.

"Uh huh…" Ro said, clicking his tongue in thought.

"Ro…"

"Lucy," Ro interrupted, suddenly turning to look her right in the eyes. "Let's break up."

Lucy's eyes widened. Her phone went flying down to the car floor as her mouth opened and she stared at him in absolute shock.

"Wha… what?"

"I think we should break up," Ro repeated. "I'm sorry, I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship with you."

Lucy gulped.

"Ro… do you have a reason for this?" she asked slowly.

"Maybe it's because all my girlfriend ever does is worry herself over her ex-boyfriend," Ro said with a smile to himself. "It's alright, though. I understand where you're coming from. You had a daughter with him; that's not something you should forget about, or take lightly."

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Lucy said, beginning to tear up.

"Ah, don't cry," Ro said, reaching forwards and wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry too, but I still want to be your friend."

"Okay. I can do that," Lucy said softly.

"Though I am glad I got to be with you, no matter how short of a time it was for," Ro said. Lucy nodded.

"I am too. This was a good break for me. Thank you," she said. "Really, thank you for everything you've done for me."

Ro could only smile.

…

"Levy, you are in so much trouble," Lucy said as she entered her best friend's apartment. Levy looked up curiously, her eyes widening as she saw the blonde standing in the doorway.

"Lu-chan! How was your date?" she asked, getting up from the couch and looking at her.

"Nevermind that… _how could you decide your wedding dress without me_?!" Lucy said, advancing towards the small bluenette.

"What? I asked you! You didn't answer any of my texts!" Levy exclaimed.

Lucy blinked, taking out her phone and going to the messaging app. She had completely forgotten she had to mute all her texts because of the movie.

"Oh," she said meekly. "Right. Sorry."

Levy rolled her eyes. "Haha it's fine, Lu. Don't worry, you get to make the final decision!" she said, leading her over to the catalog that was sitting on the kitchen table. "Anyway, now that that's sorted out, tell me, how was your date?!"

"My date?" Lucy blinked, before remembering. "Oh right. Heh… hehe… yeah. My date. Mm…"

"Lucy?" Levy asked with worried eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"My date… my date…" Lucy said, tears beginning to surface. "My date. Yeah. My date."

"Lu-chan? Are you alright?" Levy repeated. "What happened? Did Ro do something?"

"We broke up," Lucy said bluntly.

Levy instantly started sputtering. She became a coughing mess, looking at the blonde in absolute horror.

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, her eyes widening in shock. "You did?! How did that even happen?"

"He wanted to kiss me. I said no. He asked to break up."

Levy bit her lip. "That's… that's such a stupid reason for a break up," she finally said.

Lucy shrugged. "Nah, there was more to it, but I honestly don't blame him for breaking up with me."

"What? Why?" Levy asked.

"I don't exactly have the best history with men, do I?" Lucy said with another shrug. Levy looked skeptical, but decided not to push the subject any further. She knew the blonde did not want to talk about it anymore, judging by her tone of voice and overall body language.

"What did he tell you to do?" Levy decided on asking.

Lucy gulped. "I'm… I'm not exactly sure, but I think it was something along the lines of me going after Natsu."

"Oh," Levy said. "Lu, you need to give Natsu a chance. He's trying to tell you something; something important."

"I know," Lucy agreed. "I've been pretty unreasonable with him."

"You can say that again," Levy whistled. "Listen to me, I know why you're acting like this, I understand your motives… but as your best friend, I really need to tell you that you _need_ to talk to him."

"Did… something happen?" Lucy asked, biting her lip in worry. "I heard you two were together yesterday… did he do something? Did he tell you something?"

"You could say that," Levy agreed nervously. "He vented. A lot."

"Vented?" Lucy asked curiously. "What even could Natsu have vent about? I didn't know he was capable of those kinds of emotions."

"It was… pretty bad," Levy said with a sigh. "He got really physical, and was about to smash my apartment to pieces until Gajeel came and saw what was happening."

Lucy couldn't help but snort at that. "He's a keeper," she whispered.

"Yeah," Levy said, smiling. "So, are you going to take my advice and talk to Natsu? You know I've never been wrong about yourself."

Lucy gulped. "Yeah. I owe him that much at least," she said with a firm nod. "Do you know what he's up to right now?"

Levy looked thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes lidded. "He should probably be at the restaurant by now, wouldn't you think?"

And just like that, Lucy's eyes widened as she remembered something.

"Crap! I'm going to be late for work!" she exclaimed, grabbing her things and stuffing them into her bag. "Thanks a bunch, Levy-chan!"

Levy only rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, what are friends for."

…

"Oh, hey Lucy-san," Ikki said politely, bowing as her manager walked into the kitchen with her purse in one hand and a bunch of knives in the other. Ikki raised an eyebrow at that. "Why are you carrying knives around?"

"Ro asked me to bring them in," was Lucy's only explanation. "Other than that, I heard you had a date with Yule last night."

Ikki instantly brightened up. "Yeah! It was great!" she gushed happily. "I still owe my relationship with him to you, Lucy-san."

Lucy put down the knives before waving at her with a smile. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Anyway, is Natsu around? I have to talk to him about something."

Ikki looked around, before gesturing to the doors to the main restaurant. "That's right. He told me that he'd be playing as a waiter for today and let Ro do all the work."

Lucy winced. "Welp. I wouldn't expect anything less from him."

"Right," Ikki said, crossing her arms in confusion.

Lucy sighed, taking an apron off the kitchen hangers and strapping it around her waist. "Well, guess I'm on kitchen duty for today."

"Kitchen… duty?" Ikki asked.

"I'll help out with the cooking," Lucy explained.

"No can do," Ro's voice interrupted her. Lucy spun around to face him.

"Why not? I can cook!" she said, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her throat. Ro just shook his head.

"Sorry, Lucy, but I can't have the manager cooking our meals. _Fairy Tail_ has standards."

Lucy gaped at him, turning around and muttering, "Rude much?" under her breath.

"I'm just teasing you," Ro said, taking an apron off the counter and walking over to the pots. "Why don't you be a waitress today, if you're so inclined to working hands on?"

"Alright," Lucy agreed.

Ro nodded, waving his hands to shoo her off into the guest area, where everyone was seated. Lucy took a deep breath, walking over to the host table and smiling at an old couple who had just walked inside.

"Table for two," the old man said gruffly.

"Right this way, Sir," Lucy said, taking two menus and leading them to their seat.

On her way, she saw Natsu at a table with a small boy and a pair of young parents who looked like they were in their mid-twenties. Natsu was currently booping the boy's nose, and it looked as if he had just cracked a joke.

Lucy couldn't help but smile.

When she was finished at her own table, she noticed Natsu was about to pass her. He didn't seem to notice her there.

"Natsu, I-" Lucy tried, but was efficiently cut off by the pink-haired man.

"Later," he said curtly, walking right by her and tousling his hair in her direction.

Lucy's eyes widened as she received the cold shoulder. He must have really gone full out the day before at Levy and Gajeel's place. It seemed as if he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

This confused the heck out of the poor blonde.

Throughout the rest of the day, Lucy kept trying to catch Natsu's attention as they both worked, and every single time, Natsu had ignored her.

What was going on?

"Natsu," Lucy stated firmly once the restaurant was closed and everyone had already left. Natsu's shoulders stiffened as he realized she had him completely cornered. He still refused to turn and look at her. "What is going on."

"Nothing," Natsu said simply, avoiding her gaze as he turned and grabbed his bag. "See you tomorrow-"

"Natsu!" Lucy screeched, stepping in front of him and yelling into his face. "Look at me!"

And then he did.

If Lucy had to describe how he looked in one word, it would have been _scared_. His eyes were completely downcast of all emotion, and it was as if there was a barrier blocking him from her. His lips were turned down into a permanent frown, and Lucy had to blink twice to realize that she was staring.

"What did you want, again?" Natsu asked, turning away and walking to the door.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "What happened to you? Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm not acting like anything," Natsu said, reaching for the doorknob. "Now if ya' can excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Get back here!" Lucy snarled, following after him in a run as he tried to escape.

Natsu pretended not to hear her.

Lucy kept chasing him.

"Stop following me!" he yelled back to her.

"Not until you let me talk to you!"

"Oh yeah?" Natsu spun on his heel abruptly, making her almost collide into his chest. "What is it, then? What could be so important that you have to tell me right now instead of later?"

"I…" Lucy tried, her words failing her.

"You know, that's really hypocritical coming from you," Natsu said in a low voice.

Lucy's eyes widened.

"... What?"

"Asking me to listen to you? Wanting to talk to me?" he spat. "Seriously? Well, at least now you know how I feel."

"This isn't… this isn't about that," Lucy stammered, breathing heavily.

"Oh," Natsu said. "Then what's it about?"

"I just need to talk to you! I want to listen to you!"

"Really?" Natsu asked, his eyes glowering. " _Really_? Because I highly doubt that."

"Quit using big words on me!" Lucy said, her cheeks becoming more and more flustered. She gulped, preparing herself for another blow from him, but she got no such thing.

"I know," Natsu breathed out softly. "I know."

Then, Lucy was confused.

"You know what?"

"I know," was all Natsu said back to her. "And I don't wanna blame you for what you did."

"What?" Lucy was beyond confused now.

"I know," Natsu said, gulping. "Who Nashi's… father is."

Lucy stopped.

Her jaw dropped.

Her eyes widened, and tears began to swarm in the pools of her irises. She almost choked on her own saliva, but thought it would be better to escape from the situation as quickly as possible.

So she ran.

"Wait, wait! Lucy!" Natsu called after her, trying to get her to stop running.

The wind was cold for the summer night, which irritated Lucy greatly. She stopped in the middle of the road, glancing back to where Natsu was. He was still a little bit away, so she took the opportunity to throw her heels off and run.

Lucy sprinted into her apartment building, banging the door to the complex shut behind her and running up the stairs.

She locked herself into her room, sinking to her knees.

Then, she cried.

…

Ro had decided to walk Saran home, and when he did, he told her everything.

He told her about his broken relationship with Lucy, and she helped him. She told him that it was alright.

"I knew it wasn't going to last," Ro said quietly, leaning his head onto her shoulder. "I always knew we weren't supposed to be together."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Saran asked.

Ro nodded, humming. "Did you feel like this when Natsu rejected you?"

"Natsu didn't reject me…!" Saran persisted. Ro raised an eyebrow, lifting his face to look at her.

"Really, are you still going to go with that," he deadpanned. "Did you even really like him?"

"Well…" Saran started, before sighing. "I admit, at first it was just a ploy to get the guy I _really_ liked to notice me. You know, to make him jealous."

"You're so evil," Ro rolled his eyes.

"Maybe so… but I really thought it could work," Saran admitted. "And I think it did… but then I really did start developing feelings for Natsu."

"Well," Ro shrugged. "Can't be helped, I guess."

Saran was silent for a moment.

"I still like him, you know," she said softly.

"Who? Natsu?" Ro asked curiously.

"No. I still like the guy from before," Saran said. "I don't think I ever stopped, really. He was my first friend at the restaurant, after all."

Ro's head snapped in her direction. That was what she always used to refer to _him_ as. Her first friend at _Fairy Tail_.

His mouth opened wide.

"Wha… uh… me?!" Ro said in shock, his cheeks instantly lighting up on fire.

Saran bit her lip.

"I won't deny it," she said.

Ro stopped. He looked at her with a curious glance.

"Thanks," he said, folding his arms into his lap. "I'll think about it."

Saran nodded, understanding.

"I can accept that."

...

Natsu roughly banged on the door to Lucy's apartment building. She had entered through the back door, which was currently locked.

"Gah…" he muttered. "Why did I say that. I'm an idiot."

Natsu took out his phone, having no other choice but to hope she still hadn't shut hers off for the night.

He quickly clicked into his messaging app and opened Lucy's contact.

 **Natsu: Lucy**

 **Natsu: Lucy**

 **Natsu: Lucy please**

 **Natsu: Lucy please you have to listen to me**

 **Natsu: I'm sorry**

 **Natsu: I shouldn't have said that**

The messages were going through, which was a good sign.

 **Natsu: I should have given you more time**

 **Natsu: I'm sorry**

 **Natsu: Come outside**

 **Natsu: Please don't ignore me**

 **Natsu: I need to talk to you**

 **Natsu: Lucy**

 **Natsu: Lucy**

 **Natsu: Lucy please come out**

 **Natsu: LUCY!**

Natsu breathed heavily, clutching his phone tight to his chest as he began typing again.

 **Natsu: Ten years ago**

 **Natsu: I was waiting for you**

 **Natsu: We were supposed to walk home from school together to do homework**

Why were his eyes suddenly wet?

 **Natsu: I was waiting for you in our special spot at the back of the school**

 **Natsu: Lisanna came up to me**

 **Natsu: She said some mean stuff about you**

 **Natsu: I told her to back off**

 **Natsu: She didn't listen**

 **Natsu: She kissed me**

 **Natsu: I wasn't the one who kissed, her. I swear**

 **Natsu: I kissed her back**

 **Natsu: Fuck I'm so sorry**

 **Natsu: I shouldn't have done that**

 **Natsu: I'm an idiot**

 **Natsu: I'm sorry**

 **Natsu: Please**

 **Natsu: Lucy please come back downstairs**

 **Natsu: I need to talk to you**

 **Natsu: I need to tell you more**

 **Natsu: I need to give you an explanation**

 **Natsu: I need to tell you that**

Natsu started typing out his next text, ' _I love you'_ , but just as he was about to press send, the back door to the apartment complex banged open, revealing a disheveled Lucy with red eyes and tears streaming down her face. She was clutching her phone in her right hand, and Natsu could faintly make out the streams of texts he had just sent her.

She gave him a pained look, staggering in her step and trying to get to him. Natsu gulped, completely disregarding the forgotten text message and started to make his way towards her.

"Luce…" he muttered, allowing her to fall into his arms, her sobs choking out and filling the silent air. "Luce… Luce I'm so sorry…"

Lucy gulped in the hot air, her hair all over the place and her eyes blotched and swollen. Her mouth was open, the drool coming out of it suggested that she had been crying for a while.

"Natsu…" she whispered, burying her face into his chest. Natsu's entire world stopped as she spoke to him. "I'm sorry," Lucy continued. "I'm sorry for leaving you… I'm so, so, sorry."

Natsu's lips parted as he looked down at her flushed face. She was biting her lip, trying to stop herself from crying but failing miserably.

And then, he let go.

He let it all out. He cried and he cried and he cried. He knew that there was no point in masking his emotions in front of Lucy, and that if he did, it would only make him feel worse. Tears of sorrow, regret, and unhappiness streamed down his cheeks, unable to stop themselves as he wept for the only girl he ever loved.

"Lu… cy…" Natsu cried out, clutching her face into his chest harder, weeping into her hair. "Don't leave me again…"

"I won't," Lucy said softly, leaning back and cupping his face gently into her own hands. "I promise you, I won't."

Natsu buried his face into her hair, wrapping his hands around her waist. "I love you," he whispered quietly. He felt Lucy stiffen from his grasp, but thought nothing of it. "I love you I love you I love you." His eyes started tearing up again as he continuously repeated those three little words. "I love you. I love you, I love you. I always have."

Natsu released his hold on her, cautiously opening his eyes to see her smiling, teary face. He looked at her in shock as she uttered the words he hadn't heard in so long.

"Natsu," she said quietly, placing her forehead on his. "I love you too."

Natsu's entire body lit up on fire when she finally said it. He couldn't help the giant grin from stretching across his face.

"I'm never gonna leave your side," he warned. "Think carefully."

Lucy threw back her head and laughed. "Good," she said, before glancing back to the door. "Um… wanna come inside?"

Natsu looked at her. And for once, he really _looked_ at her.

"Okay," he agreed quietly, taking her hand and leading them inside.


	16. Chapter 16

Natsu glided into Lucy's apartment, her hand in his. He went over to one of the couches and took a seat, pulling Lucy down into the one next to him. Lucy glanced up at him, and then back to their still entwined hands. She was happy. She was really, really happy.

"Where's Nashi?" Natsu asked, reaching over to tuck a stray piece of Lucy's hair behind her ear.

"She's sleeping. It's gotten pretty late, after all," Lucy muttered, climbing closer to him on the seat. "And I believe you owe me an explanation."

Natsu gulped, and nodded. "Right," he said, before clearing his throat. "Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning would be nice."

"Okay," Natsu said with a cheeky grin. "I was born on…"

"That's not what I meant, you idiot!" Lucy said, lightly slapping him on his arm. Natsu tried to stifle his laugh.

"We had agreed to walk home together," Natsu started softly, eyes locking on her own. "I was waiting for you since you had to talk to the chemistry teacher about the homework."

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. "You really remember all of this?" she asked skeptically.

"I remember every single thing," Natsu swore, patting her hair as he continued. "Anyway, Lisanna came up to me while I was waiting for you… she asked me about our… sexual activities."

"What?" Lucy asked, confused. "Why would she ask something like that?"

"She wanted to do something with me, I guess," Natsu said as if it was nothing.

Lucy bit her lip. "But… you were dating me," she said, hurt dripping from her voice.

Natsu quickly nodded, shaking her hands in front of his face. "I know! Don't worry, I made sure my point was clear when I tried to get her to back off."

Lucy didn't know why, but suddenly, she felt _relieved_. There was something about hearing it from Natsu that was different from hearing it from the girl in question.

"Okay," she said meekly, rubbing her legs and crossing them underneath her. Natsu nodded.

"Right, well," he started again. "She just kinda… sprung at me. I didn't know what to do. I tried to push her off, but she was way too good."

"Good?" Lucy questioned, wondering what he meant by that.

"What I mean is… she was just kinda strong," Natsu tried, earning a hard glare from the woman sitting next to him.

"Really now, because for a man with your build, I find that highly doubtful," Lucy said, crossing her arms. Her expression suddenly lifted into that of a smile. "It's alright. That's all in the past now."

Natsu breathed slowly. "Oh good. I thought for sure you were going to scream or kick me or somethin'."

"Oh don't worry, I will," Lucy said, still keeping her smile bright on her face. "But I'm going to wait for Nashi for that. I think we both know she'll want to give you a piece of her mind after we tell her."

Natsu's eyes widened and his skin turned sickly white.

"You… you wouldn't dare," he said slowly, hugging himself tightly. "Luce… you don't even know what that girl is capable of-"

"Oh trust me," Lucy said, still smiling. "I do. I am, after all, her mother."

Natsu coughed.

"So… are we good now?" he asked hopefully.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "No, not yet," she said, beginning to advance forward.

Natsu gulped. "We aren't?! But… I thought we kinda had something going, ya know?" he said, looking at her in fear.

"Natsu," Lucy said boldly. "We are not cool yet, and you know that just as well as I do. You had me under the impression that you _cheated_ on me, and now you're telling me it was all a stupid misunderstanding?"

"Um… kind of?"

"You complete and utter _idiot_!" Lucy screeched, standing up on the couch and throwing her fists to his face. Unfortunately, Natsu was trained enough to realize what she was about to do. He effectively blocked the incoming punch, grabbing her wrists and pinning her down.

"Oi! You can't do that!" he said in mock annoyance. "That isn't fair, not giving me enough time to react!"

Lucy squirmed underneath him, trying to break free. Of course, she was blocked by Natsu's body, which she suddenly found on top of her.

"Wha…?" she muttered. "How did you even have enough time to pin me?!"

"Remember?" Natsu said with a wicked grin. "I was the one who taught you. I know all your little tricks, Miss Heartfilia."

"That isn't fair!" Lucy whined, trying to kick free.

Natsu stared at her, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. He bit his lip, watching as she shut her eyes closed tightly and tried to get him off of her. Natsu breathed heavily, watching her every moment, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Oh to hell with it," he muttered, quickly leaning forwards and pressing his lips onto hers.

Lucy let out a muffled shriek from underneath him, her hands immediately letting go of her resistance as she sunk down into the couch, allowing his weight to take over her.

"I hate you…" she whispered when he pulled away. Natsu looked down at her dishevelled expression with a lopsided grin.

"But I thought you just said you loved me," he teased, leaning closer until their noses were just touching.

"I… I…" Lucy tried, whimpering as he was about to close the gap between their faces again.

"Let me remind you," he said wicked grin, softly placing his lips on hers again.

If there was one thing he could say about kissing Lucy, it was that he _missed it_. He missed the way she kissed, and the way he absolutely could not hold back once he started. After all, they had been through everything together. Memories flooded back to him, clouding his vision as he lidded his eyes shut and forgot about everything except the girl underneath him.

He broke away from her, going to her cheeks and immediately tasting something salty. Was she… crying? He looked up to see her eyes closed, but tears running freely down her face.

"Natsu?" she said softly. "What happened? Why did you stop?"

"Luce, don't cry," he whispered into her ears, pressing his lips to her temples, where her tears were currently streaming. He began to kiss them away. "Don't cry, please don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Lucy said stubbornly. "I'm not crying at all. You must be seeing things."

"I don't really think I am," Natsu said in a pointed tone, frowning as her eyes remained tightly shut. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Lucy said, raising her hands and placing them on his arms. "Nothing's wrong."

"Then why…?"

"It just… I'm just remembering things," Lucy said, lifting her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "You know, about stuff."

"I am too," Natsu gulped. "But I don't wanna think about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Better to stay in the present, you know?" Natsu said with a small grin. Lucy then opened her eyes wide, staring at him in absolute awe.

Her gaze hardened, as if she had just decided something. Natsu saw the intense fire in her eyes, before she grabbed his scarf and pulled him down to her again.

Natsu let out a muffled yelp as she began to kiss him again, trying to not lose control. She might not want that to happen, after all. Natsu could be an absolute animal if he wanted to be.

His mouth roamed her neck, exploring all of his different options.

"Natsu…" she moaned. "I… I can't do this."

Natsu immediately stopped.

"Oh," he muttered, releasing his hold on her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Lucy sighed, kicking herself off the couch and looking at him dead in the eyes. "But thank you. You know, for being persistent enough until I finally allowed you to tell me what was really going on."

"Didn't Lisanna tell you before this, though?" Natsu asked, remembering what the girl had told him after their first get together.

Lucy nodded, gulping. "Yeah, she did. I just… I didn't believe her. You can't really blame me for that though… I wanted to hear it from you."

"I know," Natsu said, bowing his head low. "And… I shouldn't have gone that far right now. I should have asked for your permission."

Lucy snorted. "Since when have you ever asked for permission?"

"That doesn't matter," Natsu said. "I could have hurt you. I'm sorry."

Lucy looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Can you… stay the night?" she asked quietly. "Please?"

Natsu's eyes widened.

"Sure," he shrugged. "Just don't kill me in the morning if you blank."

…

Lucy awoke to the sound of heavy breathing coming from underneath her. Her eyes shot open, landing on the scrunched face of a head of pink hair. She let out a blood-curling scream.

"Oi! Oi! Lucy!" Natsu said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What happened?! Are you alright?"

"You… you…" Lucy sputtered out, pointing to him with a shocked expression. Her nightshirt was sticking to her skin with the massive amount of sweat surrounding her body.

"Hey!" Natsu said, grabbing her shoulders. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? What year is it? What's your name? How old are-"

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" Lucy screeched, scrambling off the bed, memories of the last night flooding back to her. "Actually, no. I'm the real idiot here. I'm a giant idiot."

Natsu muttered something, yawning before noticing a new arrival in the room.

"NATSU YOU ARE A DEAD, DEAD MAN."

"Chill out," Natsu said, holding out his arms to the doorway, where a small figure was standing with the widest eyes.

"NATSU, GET OUT OF MY ROOM."

"Mommy?"

"Luce?"

"NASHI?!"

Lucy stared at her daughter, fumbling with her robe and quickly running up to her. She knelt down besides her with a worried expression.

"Did you see anything?" she asked immediately.

Nashi, however, was just staring in shock at the strange figure on her mom's bed.

"Mommy, why is Natsu sitting on your bed?"

Natsu took this opportunity to expertly grin. "Because your mom and I spent the night to-"

"Natsu," Lucy said in a dangerously calm voice. "I will kill you if you don't leave this room in the next two seconds."

"O-oi!"

"One."

"Sheesh! I'm leaving, I'm leaving."

"Two."

"Hey, I-"

"Nashi, would you do me the honor of going and kicking that guy?" Lucy asked sweetly, looking back at the small girl who was still looking very confused.

"Um… okay," Nashi said, beginning to walk to Natsu.

"Wait!" Lucy said, grabbing her with a huge blush coating her cheeks. "Um… I was just joking."

"Why is Natsu here?" Nashi asked, crossing her small arms and giving her mom a look.

"You know, sometimes you act far too old for your age," Lucy sighed, rubbing her temples in distress. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Actually," Natsu cut in from the bed. "Isn't she just a few weeks away from ten? Don't most health classes-"

"SHUT UP, NATSU!"

…

At the breakfast table, Nashi sat in front of a bowl of cereal, with Natsu and Lucy on either side of her.

"Um…" Lucy started, looking at the young girl. "Nashi, we have to tell you something."

"Okay," Nashi said, taking a spoonful of her food and smiling at her mother. "What is it?"

"Uh… you know your father, right?" Lucy said nervously, playing with her fingers. Nashi dropped her spoon and looked at her mother with an excited look.

"You found him?! Does this mean that I'm gonna have a real daddy now?" she said with hopeful eyes.

"Ya' know how you asked to call me 'Dad' the other day at the zoo?" Natsu cut in, obviously irritated by Lucy's way of approaching this. He looked at Lucy with an expression that read ' _You're hopeless'_.

"Yeah?" Nashi asked, looking back to Natsu.

"Well, how would ya' like to call me that for the rest of your life?" Natsu said with a proud smirk, crossing his arms and looking incredibly pleased with himself.

Lucy slapped her hand to her head. Oh well, there was no turning back now.

"Wait…" Nashi said, clicking the pieces together. "Wait… WAIT…"

"You know, sometimes I wish she got her brain from you instead of me," Lucy muttered. "She's far too smart for her own good."

"Oi! What's that supposed ta' mean?" Natsu asked with a pout.

"Wait… so does that mean… that Natsu is my daddy?" Nashi asked, pointing to Natsu and looking at her mother with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Natsu said happily, picking up his daughter and throwing her into the air.

"Natsu! Be care-"

Suddenly, Natsu was kicked to the ground sharply. A pain in his chest made him gasp and sputter, looking at the source of the kick.

"Who-"

"I DON'T WANT HIM!"

Natsu and Lucy looked at Nashi with wide eyes. They watched as her eyes filled with tears and her face turned red with anger.

"What?" Lucy murmured softly.

"I DON'T WANT HIM, MOMMY!" Nashi yelled. "GET HIM AWAY FROM HERE!"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Nashi was practically shaking by now.

"He hurt my mommy," she said quietly. "Natsu!"

Natsu's head snapped up, watching as his daughter stomped up to him with a determined expression.

"Every single year, on your birthday, Mommy ignores me," Nashi continued.

Lucy's hand flew to her mouth, while Natsu just looked shocked.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"When I was younger, I had to give Mommy medicine for her nightmares about you," Nashi kept going lowly. "I won't let you have her!"

"But, Nashi," Natsu said. "We're friends!"

"That was before I knew that you were the person who hurt my mom!"

Natsu's head was spinning, taking in all this new information. The misunderstanding had effected Lucy a lot more than he had initially thought.

"Nashi," Lucy said, walking up from behind Natsu, staring directly at her daughter. "It's true that your father hurt me. He hurt me very badly, which is something you should know."

"Luce…" Natsu tried, but he wasn't able to say anything since both Lucy and Nashi shot him glares. "Okay, okay, I get it."

"Anyway," Lucy continued as if nothing had happened. "Nashi, I also want you to know that everything that happened in the past was an accident. Natsu didn't mean to hurt me, and I know that now."

"Huh?" Nashi asked. "How could he hurt have you, and you forgave him so easily?"

Lucy gulped. "Don't worry. I haven't completely forgiven him yet," she said quietly, bending down to look at the pink-haired girl eye to eye. "But I think that in time, I will be able to forgive him. And I think you should do that too."

"Does this mean," Nashi said quietly. "That we will be a family? That I'm gonna have a mommy _and_ a daddy?"

Lucy bit her lip. "Well, I don't really know about-"

"Of course it does," Natsu's voice said. Both Lucy and Nashi turned to see him standing up and walking towards them. He kneeled down besides Lucy, taking his daughter's hand into his and giving her a heartwarming smile. "Because I won't let either of you out of my sight."

Lucy looked up with pink cheeks. Was he suggesting something? Was he really going to be there for his daughter and herself from now on?

"Really?" Nashi asked with wide eyes. She had completely let go of her mother's hand now, and had placed both in her father's. Natsu chuckled, grinning happily and nodding.

"Yep!" he said. "Now that I know about all of this, I can be together with both of you!"

"You promise?" Nashi asked, holding out her pinky. It was something she and her mother used to do, and in her mind, if Natsu did the pinky promise with her, it would be taken as a sign that he really was telling the truth.

"I promise," Natsu said with a wink, locking his pinky into hers and nodding firmly.

He looked up at Lucy, just missing Nashi's giant grin. Natsu held out his free hand to her, hinting for her to take it.

Lucy smiled, taking his hand and patting her daughter's head as she hugged both of them tightly.

Their first family hug.

…

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that little Nashi had walked in on you two-"

" _Gray, I will murder you in your sleep_."

Gray looked at the owner of the voice, his eyes widening as he saw Lucy entering the room with four cups of coffee on a tray. She set them down, looking between Natsu, Juvia, and the man she had just threatened to kill.

"Yeah," Natsu said, taking a cup and sipping it. "I guess you could say that."

"Ohhh Juvia is so happy for Natsu and Lucy-san!" Juvia squealed, randomly grabbing onto Gray's shoulder. "Though Juvia doesn't appreciate Lucy-san killing her husband."

"It's all good, Juvia," Lucy said.

"Right well," Natsu said, getting up. "I'm done here. See ya-"

"Oi! Don't leave just yet," Gray said, getting up too.

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "I didn't just come here to have myself made a fool of," he said, setting the glass down and staring at his rival.

"I wasn't making a fool of you! I was just making a fool of how stupid you are!" Gray said, mentally chuckling and preparing himself for a fight.

"You wanna go?"

"Yes! I do wanna go, actually."

"GRRR GRA-"

"Natsu, if you don't sit down right now, I will throw this hot coffee onto your face and refuse to take you to the hospital," Lucy's sweet voice said.

"Juvia would like Gray-sama and Natsu to stop too," Juvia said in a meek voice.

Natsu and Gray looked at each other with looks that said ' _We'll finish this later'_. They both took their seats again and sighed into their cups.

"Guess Mira won, then," Gray said to Juvia.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "Won? Won what?"

"Nothing!" Gray said quickly.

"Mhm…" Lucy said, rolling her eyes and leaning back on the couch she was sitting on. "Hey, I thought you were expecting visitors today."

Juvia nodded. "We are," she said. "Juvia is looking forward to them coming!"

"Who'd be dumb enough to visit _you_?" Natsu asked, looking at Gray.

"More people than who would visit someone like you," Gray retorted.

"Anyway," Juvia cut in roughly. "They should be here any minute now, so-"

Just then, the doorbell had sounded throughout the house, making Gray get up and look at Lucy.

"Um… why don't you get it, Lucy?" he said.

"Oi! Quit bein' lazy and-" Natsu started, but was cut off by Lucy.

"Sure," she shrugged, getting up and going to the door. She opened it, being tackled down immediately by someone.

"Lucy!" a small boy said. Lucy had just enough time to register the head of bright green hair. She instantly knew who it was, grinning heavily and wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, Tagg!" she smiled, picking up the boy and smiling brightly at the other figure in the doorway. "What did you do to your son, Lyon."

"It's nice to see you too, Lucy," Lyon said with an eye roll. "And don't worry, he's just excited."

"Still," Lucy shrugged, setting the boy down. "I don't remember him being so affection-"

"Where's Nashi?" Tagg asked quickly, looking around the room for any signs of the pink-haired girl. "I gotta talk to her!"

"What?" Lucy asked, clearly amused. "That's never happened before."

"I wanna flaunt about my awesome interaction with the biggest band in all of Japan!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Ah, that explains it."

"Hey, Lyon, are you gonna come in or what?" Gray's voice said. Lyon looked past Lucy, before his eyes settled on his cousin who had a bright bluenette clinging to his arm.

"Hello, Gray. Nice to see you, Juvia," he said politely, bowing as he entered the house.

"Well this is new," Gray snorted. "Usually you would go straight to Juvia and start fawning over her."

"That would count as cheating on my girlfriend, and I wouldn't want to do that, now would I," Lyon answered, his eyes narrowing. "Don't worry, Gray. My eyes are not for Juvia anymore."

"Juvia is so relieved!" Juvia said, letting her grip on her husband go, earning her a less than pleased look from the man in question.

"You didn't have to… agh, nevermind," Gray said with a secretive smile. "Anyway, what's this about a girlfriend?"

Lucy, however, looked incredibly pleased with herself. She turned to Juvia with her hands spread. "Told you," she said with a smirk. "Three-thousand jewel, hand it over."

Juvia muttered something under her breath, reluctantly reaching for her wallet and pulling out the requested amount of cash.

"Juvia thought for sure that it would take Lyon-sama another six months," she grumbled.

The men in the room looked at them with weird glances.

"Um… what?" Gray said.

"We bet on how long it would take Lyon to get together with Meredy," Lucy explained. "We did it as soon as you guys found me a month ago."

"Seriously," Lyon deadpanned. "And how did you know?"

"Know what?" Lucy asked.

"That my girlfriend was Meredy."

"Oh, pfft," Lucy said, trying to hold in her laughs. "Because it was completely obvious she was smitten with you whenever we asked her to look after Nashi and Tagg."

"Lyon-sama just took a little longer to figure it out," Juvia agreed.

"You two are crazy," Gray rolled his eyes.

Natsu, who had stayed quiet through this time, placed his hand on Lucy's shoulder and looked at Lyon.

"I thought you said you didn't know Lucy," he said. "Remember? At the train station."

"What?" Lucy asked, looking in between Lyon and Natsu. "You guys have met before? At a train station? And talked about me?"

"Uh.. hehe…" Natsu said, scratching the back of his neck.

"We will talk about this later," Lucy said, scrunching her nose and letting Natsu continue.

"Aye, sir," he mumbled, knowing he would have to go through a lifetime of teasing for what had happened back then.

"Well, I was lying," Lyon said, who looked unfazed about all of this.

Tagg then spoke up. He turned to Natsu with a raised eyebrow. "Hey! I know you! You're Nashi's grandpa, right?"

Natsu's eyes widened, while everyone else sweat-dropped.

"Oi! I told you before! I'm not that old!" he said, crossing his arms. "Besides, I can't be her grandfather if I'm her _father_."

Lyon twisted his lips, turning to Lucy with a shocked expression.

"You told him?!" he asked.

Lucy shook her head. "Nope, he figured it out on his own," she said. "Though I'll never understand how. He's much too…"

"I'm much too what?" Natsu asked out of genuine curiosity.

"N-nothing," Lucy said.

"We should go on a… um… seven-couple date," Gray said, looking as if he had just been thinking hard. "Oh, plus Lyon."

"I feel so included," Lyon muttered.

Gray cheekily smirked. "You should!"

"I'm so done with all of you," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

"Oi!" Lyon and Gray chorused at the same time.

Lucy laughed. "I'll be right back," she said, turning and walking through one of the doors. "Bathroom."

Once she was gone, Gray turned to Natsu with an expectant look.

"Well?"

Natsu blinked. "Well what?"

Gray almost facepalmed.

"Well, when are you going to propose to her?" he asked with an eye-roll.

Natsu's eyes widened. "Uh… uh… propose?"

"Oh, so you two are back together?" Lyon asked, turning to Natsu as well.

"Juvia hopes Natsu has something planned!" Juvia said with a big smile. "Lucy is such a hopeless romantic, she has to be completely swept off of her feet!"

Natsu shot the three of them an annoyed look.

"Thanks, guys. You're making this _sooo_ much easier," he said.

"Aha!" Gray whooped. "So you are going to propose!"

"Well, yeah," Natsu said. "Duh. Of course I am."

"When?" Lyon asked curiously.

"No clue."

"How?"

"No clue."

"Why?"

"What do you mean _why_ , Fullbuster?!" Natsu said, rounding on Gray.

Gray didn't look amused.

"I asked you why," he said. "Why're you going to propose."

"Because I love her, you idiot!" Natsu said, getting into a fighting stance.

Gray looked behind Natsu with a raised eyebrow. "You hear that, Lucy?!"

Natsu's head instantly snapped up, looking back, prepared to see the blonde standing there.

When he didn't see her, his face lit up in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh… bahahaha, sweet Mavis… ahaha," Gray said, trying to control his laughter. "You actually fell for it! Hahahaha!"

"I hate you!" Natsu whined. "I hate everything about you!"

"Juvia doesn't think that's very nice, Natsu," Juvia said. "Juvia happens to like her Gray-sama very much."

"Yeah yeah, sure," Natsu said dismissively.

"I'm back," Lucy said, entering the room again. "What did I miss- what is going on in here."

Lucy looked at the scene with a less than amused expression. Gray was rolling on the floor, laughing his head off, Lyon was besides him, trying to stifle his own amusement, and Juvia was looking at Natsu in anger. Natsu, however, was about to punch Gray, which snapped Lucy back into attention.

"Alright. I think we all need a break," Lyon said, calming himself down. "Let's go on that seven-couple date, plus me."

"Who are the other couples?" Lucy asked, joining the conversation.

"You and Natsu, Juvia and I, Gajeel and Levy, Mira and Laxus, Wendy and Romeo, Elfman and Evergreen, and Jellal and Erza," Gray said. "Oh, and Lyon."

"I feel _so_ included, Gray," Lyon said, his teeth clenched.

"The kids?" Lucy continued.

"We'll leave them with Macao or something," Gray shrugged. "It shouldn't be hard to find a babysitter."

"Alright," Lucy nodded.

"Aw, I kinda wanted to spend time with Lucy and Nashi," Natsu muttered.

"That's so sweet," Gray teased.

"Shut it, Ice Freak," Natsu hissed. "You would be the same."

"True," Gray said, leaning back on the counter and smiling in Juvia's general direction. "Very, very true."

* * *

 **Admit it. You thought they were gonna go all the way.**

 **I'm gonna be honest here. Initially, I had written it so that Natsu and Lucy _had_ ended up doing it, but I changed it around last minute because I just thought it was a little too much for right after the make up scene. And yeah, Lucy overreacted just a tad, but I think she still holds that right. XD After all, she did go through a hell lot because of her decisions in high school. **

**Also, I've gotten a few reviews and PMs saying that Lucy should not have taken Natsu back, and that she should have been stubborn for a little longer. To be honest, I thought that I was dragging it _out_ for too long. XD At some point, Lucy had to just suck it all up and accept Natsu's apology, because she was being far too stubborn, and Natsu was being too dense. **

**Fear not, folks! This story is still far from over! I'm planning around 7+ chapters after this. Sooo stay tuned for that!**

 **See y'all through the screen!**


	17. Chapter 17

Let's just say, a date for seven couples wasn't one of Gray's best ideas.

Everyone was squished together at the table in the small coffee table, and no one was comfortable.

"We should have just gone to _Fairy Tail_ ," Natsu muttered unhappily, crossing his arms and pouting childishly.

"Nah, we always go there for meetups," Lucy said, taking a sip of the tea she had ordered. "This is a nice change."

"Only Bunny Girl would think of this as 'nice'," Gajeel said, raising his left arm to give Levy more space. The short bluenette smiled gratefully up at her fiancé, nestling into his shoulder as the others watched in awe.

"Hard to believe you two aren't already married," Erza said, taking Jellal's glass and emptying it into her own. "We can share," she whispered to her husband. Jellal could only nod, not wanting to get into an argument with his pregnant wife.

"Haha yeah," Levy said. "There's still a few weeks."

"Which reminds me," Lucy said. "Nashi's birthday is coming up."

"Oh that's right," Mira said. "I remember Nashi telling us on our get together night that her birthday was August sixteenth, right?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

"We'll have to do something special, then," Wendy said with a smile. "Maybe we should plan a surprise birthday party?"

"That's sounds fun," Erza agreed.

"Parties are the best! What do you think, Lu-chan?" Levy said, turning to the blonde who was looking incredibly happy.

"You guys are awesome," Lucy said simply. "Thank you."

"Of course," Gray said with a smug smirk.

"My father usually celebrates with us," Lucy said slowly. "I still haven't told him about coming to Magnolia for the summer, so I'll have to do that."

"Will your father come, then?" Jellal asked curiously.

Lucy nodded. "He probably will."

"Alright!" Natsu said, pumping his fists in the air. "I'll finally get to see your pops again, after all these years!"

"He hates you," Lucy said, scrunching her nose, causing Natsu to instantly deflate.

"Well, I mean, he's never been a real big fan of me… but people change!" Natsu pushed. Lucy just shook her head again, sighing.

"Nope, he really really despises you for what you did to me," she said, crossing her arms. "It'll take some time to convince him to accept you again. Not that he ever did accept you…"

"He'll understand," Natsu said, gulping, "hopefully."

"Right," Lucy said, still unconvinced. Her eyes then widened, and she turned to her best friend. "Say, Levy, I never asked you, but how did Gajeel propose?"

Natsu immediately looked up, involuntarily catching Gray's eye, who was currently wearing a very suggestive smirk. Natsu scowled at him, turning back to Levy with interest. Maybe this conversation could help him with his dilemma concerning Lucy and his relationship.

The bluenette in question was blushing bright red.

"It really wasn't anything special," she said, playing with her fingers in her hand. "Gajeel took me out to karaoke one night, and then he proposed during his turn."

"He totally sung a song for you, didn't he," Laxus said in a deadpan tone. Gajeel scowled at him.

"Oh yeah? What about you, then? Electrical Freak," he muttered, slamming his fragile teacup onto the table.

Laxus smirked.

"I took Mira out to dinner one day, and I proposed right then and there," he said, crossing his arms.

Mira gushed. "He was so romantic!"

Lucy smiled. "Yes, I remember when Lisanna told us about that," she said thoughtfully. "We all knew it was bound to happen at some point. You two were practically made for each other!"

"It did take awhile to convince Freed, though," Mira said, tapping her chin. "Now that I think about it, I don't think we've ever invited just him over for dinner," she said, looking at Laxus.

"You'd be competing for attention," Laxus said, raising his cup to his mouth. "I wouldn't want you two fighting over me."

"Oh please, I think it's the other way around," Mira said.

"Didn't Mira and Freed used to date?" Lucy asked.

Mira nodded. "Yeah, that was back in high school, though," she said. "I always held feelings for Laxus, no matter how much of an annoying guy he can be."

"Never thought I'd hear Mira say something like that," Jellal commented lightly. He then caught the stares of the other men at the table. "Nope. Not happening. There's no way I'm telling you how Erza and I got engaged. No way in hell."

"Come to think of it, I don't think we've ever heard the story of the proposal," Romeo spoke up. "You two never mentioned it, and when we asked, you averted the topic to something different."

"Come on, Jellal! Tell us how you got the scarlet-haired demon to be your wife!" Lyon chuckled, earning a glare from Erza.

"I don't appreciate you all interrogating my husband like this," she said, closing her eyes. "I don't think Jellal is honestly very willing to tell you all the story. It was quite embarrassing."

Gajeel whistled. "He managed to make you embarrassed? Man, I have to hear about this now," he said.

Jellal blushed beet red. "Uh…"

"Actually, it was _him_ that got embarrassed," Erza cut in. "He was making the same face he has on right now after I proposed!"

"After _you_ proposed?!" the entire table screeched.

"Actually, he was about to propose to me, but I cut him off and did it myself," Erza explained as if it was nothing.

"The girl isn't supposed ta' propose!" Natsu said, looking at Erza and Jellal in shock. "That ain't the way it works!"

"Do you have a problem with it, Natsu?" Erza said, her aura darkening. "Because I'd love to hear your reasoning for it."

Natsu glared at her. "With pleasure, _Ma'am_ ," he hissed, causing everyone to flinch. "A proposal is when the guy is finally allowed to show off his manly-ness!"

"Yeah!" Elfman said, pumping up his fist.

Natsu nodded. "Exactly! Throughout any relationship, it's always the girl who's on top of things. The guy always messes everything up," he said, looking down at his feet. He tried to avoid Lucy's gaze, and so far it was working. "Without the girl's sensibleness, their relationship would be completely down in the dumps. So that's why when a guy proposes, the girl is finally reassured that he will be good for something for once!"

"Natsu, what are you talking about?" Jellal said, tilting his head in confusion. "It's perfectly alright if the woman proposes. Saves the man from a lot of trouble, actually."

The guys around the table nodded at that.

"You have no idea how tough it was to suck up all this and go for it," Gray muttered, shooting Juvia a glance from besides her. Juvia smiled sweetly, but didn't say anything.

"Yeah, well," Natsu said, "I don't like that! I don't like that at all!"

"Well you better make sure you propose to Lucy before she proposes to you, then," Gray said, pushing the topic even further.

Lucy's eyes widened, flying over to Natsu to see what he had to say in reply to Gray's comment. Natsu was glaring ferociously at him. He suddenly turned to the blonde besides him with a hard stare.

"Luce, make sure you don't propose to me before I do," he said in the most serious tone he could muster.

Lucy went dead silent as all the other people at the table snickered.

"You heard the man, Lucy!" Laxus snorted.

"Lucy and Natsu are getting married! How sweet!" Wendy gushed. "Soon, anyway."

"No we're not!" Lucy said, her cheeks coated red from embarrassment and shock. "We're not even dating!"

"We aren't?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were back together!"

Lucy's jaw dropped. "You can't just go assuming things like that! You didn't even ask me!"

"Oh," Natsu said dumbly. "Alrighty then. Luce, be my girlfriend? Again?"

"This is strangely nostalgic," Lucy muttered, ignoring all the stares she was getting. "But yeah, sure."

"Cool!" Natsu said, taking her hand and gulping down the rest of his tea.

"Nostalgic?" Erza said, breaking the awkward silence. "How?"

Lucy smiled, but cringed at the memories returning back to her.

"Uh… when we were in our first year of middle school, Natsu had asked me out, but I didn't know he had," she explained.

"What?" Levy asked, confused. "How does that even work?"

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Gray laughed. "Natsu had just assumed he was dating Lucy after she told him she liked him. He never actually asked her out until he bluntly told her that they were dating during class a few weeks later."

"You thought you were dating Lucy for a few _weeks_?" Mira asked, who had never heard this story. "I was in high school at that time, so I don't know."

"Yup, you heard it here and now," Lucy said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. "How does one be as dense as Natsu. I will never understand."

"Believe me, Lucy, I've been asking myself the same question for almost twenty-two years," Gray muttered.

"Okay, it's very hard to misinterpret something like that-" Natsu started, but was cut off by Lucy.

"You just contradicted yourself with that sentence," she said. "Use proper grammar, or don't talk to me."

"O-oi!" Natsu said, earning himself a few laughs around the small table.

"I, on the other hand, did an awesome job of proposing," Gray said, swelling with pride. Natsu cringed.

"No you didn't," he said.

"Yes I did!" Gray retorted. "Everyone was so amazed when I did it!"

"No they weren't!" Natsu said, his voice becoming louder. "That was the stupidest thing ever! You completely messed it up!"

"Just because my English wasn't the best in that time period, doesn't mean I did a horrible job!" Gray said.

"You spelt ' _marry_ ' with three r's!" Natsu yelled. "Even I know that isn't right!"

"I'm impressed," Lucy whistled, looking at Natsu. "You know some English. Good for you, Natsu."

"Thanks, Luce!" Natsu said with a cheeky smile.

Gray facepalmed, before his wife came to the rescue.

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama's proposal to her was very sweet and romantic!" Juvia said with a dreamy sigh, clutching her hands to her heart. "Juvia was very surprised, and she was very happy, too!"

"See?! Someone thought my proposal was good!" Gray said, glaring at Natsu.

"Yeah, because she's the one you were proposing to!" Natsu yelled back. "That hardly counts! Everyone else thought is was a fail!"

"I have to admit, that was a little bad," Levy said under her breath, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

"At least Juvia didn't notice it until Loke pointed it out," Wendy reasoned.

"It was still beautiful!" Erza said, tears surrounding her eyes. "It warmed my heart to see Gray so passionate about his love for Juvia! It moved me to tears!"

"Uh, Erza? You're crying again," Romeo pointed out.

"I'm a little confused," Lucy said with a lost expression. "What exactly happened?"

"I had sculpted out the words ' _Will you marry me?_ ' with my ice in perfect English, but I accidentally cut out an extra ' _r'_ and put it in the display," Gray muttered. "It was fine, though! Until that stupid playboy ruined it!"

"That's… really cheesy," Lucy snorted. "And very unlike you."

"That's what we said!" everyone chorused.

"Okay, you know what?" Gray said, rolling his eyes and snapping his wrists. "I have nothing to say to any of you anymore."

"Not to mention it rained right in the middle of the whole thing!" Jellal added. Gray pouted, crossing his arms and pulling a weird face.

"Don't be sad, Gray-sama," Juvia said, leaning onto him. "Juvia still appreciated it. She liked it very much!"

"Good," Gray mumbled.

"Anyway," Lucy said, turning to Natsu. "You should begin to mentally prepare yourself for my father's arrival."

"Oh, right," Natsu said. "I forgot."

"Which is exactly why you should mentally prepare yourself," Lucy said with a less than amused expression.

Natsu gulped. Of course, he would have to take Lucy's father being here as an advantage. He had to ask him for her hand in marriage, after all.

Natsu would never take her away from her father. He knew they shared a special relationship.

He'd do it, though. No matter what, he'd get Jude's blessing.

…

Nashi was annoyed.

She had just found out about Natsu being her father, and now he and her mother were out for tea with their friends. She wanted to play with Natsu! She wanted some real quality family time for the three of them.

Instead, she was at Wendy and Romeo's cat shelter with Romeo's dad looking after them.

Worst of all, Storm and _Tagg_ were in the same room as her.

"And then my father got me an autograph! How lucky am I?!" Tagg was saying to Nashi, shoving a piece of paper into her face. "Are you jealous? That I got to have a meet and greet with the biggest band in all of Japan?"

"I'm sorry, but what are you doing here again?" Nashi asked, deadpanning him a look.

"Who are you, anyway?" Jay asked, walking closer to the duo. "I've never seen you around. Are you new?"

"Nope. I'm Nashi's best friend from back in Acalypha!" Tagg said, swelling his chest out and giving them all a lazy smirk.

Nashi was not amused.

"Yeah. Right," Velza said, rolling his eyes.

"Otouto, don't be rude," Jay said to his little brother.

"I didn't know Brown Eyes was even capable of making friends," Storm taunted, hanging around one of the cages and scratching the back of a small white cat's ears. "She's too crazy for something like that."

"I'm so done with all of you," Nashi said, facepalming. "As of right now, Greenie is the only sensible one here."

"I'm beautiful too," Grenella said with a flip of her white locks.

"Yes," Nashi agreed. "You're actually really pretty."

"Hey, Sylvia's pretty sensible," Sylvia said, crossing her arms and seating herself on a small couch on the side of the room. "Sylvia thinks she is a very mature five-year-old, to be frank."

"Oh yeah, that's true," Nashi said, pretending not to notice Storm's disgusted facial expression.

"Imouto! What have I told you about speaking like Mom does?" he scolded, walking up to his little sister. He never used proper terms for friends and family, so to have him address Sylvia in that way came as a shock to everyone.

Sylvia instantly cowered away. "Sylvia is sorry… I mean, I am sorry, Nii-chan."

"Oi!" Nashi said, getting up and facing storm roughly. "What is your problem?!"

"What's _my_ problem?!" Storm screeched, rounding on the pink-haired girl. "I should be asking you the same question!"

"Why do you care so much if Sylvia talks like that?! You're supposed to be her Nii-chan! You're supposed to support her in whatever she wants!" Nashi said, huffing. "I may not have a sibling, but I have enough common sense to know that much!"

"Yeah, because your father abandoned you and your mom before you were born!" Storm yelled back. After he realized what he just said, his hand flew to his mouth as he gasped in shock. "Oh… I'm…"

"Just forget it," Nashi muttered, turning around and walking back to the corner of the room. "Forget all of it. I don't know what I ever did to you to make you feel so badly towards me… but seriously, just forget it all."

"Nashi," Storm said firmly, walking up to her and planting his feet besides her. "I take back what I just said, but I still don't like you."

"Fine. Whatever," Nashi said, "see if I care, Loser! Tch."

Tagg looked between them uncomfortably.

"What's with you two?" he asked slowly, his bright green bangs covering his view.

"Nashi, Storm, cut it out," Lester said, stepping into the room with a tray of drinks in his hands. "No need to keep fighting."

Nashi and Storm looked up at the tall blonde boy who set the plate down and offered them all a glass. Nashi reluctantly took one, sitting back in her seat and staring at Storm. She looked at the way his raven-colored hair blocked the edges of his eyes.

Nashi gulped.

What was she _doing_?

…

"Listen up, everyone!" Natsu said, storming into the staff lounge at Fairy Tail the next day. He had called all the workers in for a mandatory meeting, and everyone was confused, yet curious about what he had to say.

"Honestly, Dragneel-sama," Lervis started, a disappointing tone drenching her voice. "We all have a lot of work to do today! What could possibly be so important that this couldn't wait till after hours? Customers are waiting for Ro and Jimnee's food out there!"

"Right," Natsu said with a lazy smirk. "I just thought you'd like to know about the renovations happening soon."

"Renovations?" Mina asked, tilting her head. "Why are we getting renovations? Don't you think this restaurant is in good enough shape?"

"Well yeah, but we could always improve in areas," Natsu said with a shrug. "We're not only redoing the entire restaurant, but we're also expanding! _Fairy Tail_ is getting a makeover!" He then turned to Lucy, who was writing all the information down in her record books. "Mira agreed to be the new barmaid for _Fairy Tail_ , actually. She said she could use a part-time job, since her company doesn't always need new modeling gigs to be done."

Lucy looked up, shooting him a smile and going to write what he had said in the workers area of the book. "Awesome! Mira will be perfect for the job! I dunno, she has something about her that just makes her seem so suitable for something like that."

Natsu nodded, before looking at everyone else. "Mira is a friend. Ever heard of Mirajane Dreyer from _Sorcerer Weekly_?" he said.

The girls in the room instantly screeched.

" _The_ Mirajane?! That's so cool, Dragneel-sama!" Mina instantly said, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Saran looked incredibly pleased too, which was a first for everyone to see.

"It's been a long while since I last crossed paths with Mirajane," she said, crossing her arms and sighing. "She was one of my biggest idols when I first started my career, even if she is just a few years older than me."

Natsu nodded. "Right," he said, before turning back to face Lucy. "Gray and Juvia are putting on an ice and water show for everyone on _Fairy Tail_ 's first day back!"

"First day back?" Ro questioned.

"Yeah, since the restaurant is going under construction for a bit, it'll be on hiatus," Natsu said meekly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't worry, though. It shouldn't take too long. A couple of months, at the most."

"Is anyone else doing anything?" Lucy asked, directing her question towards her boyfriend. Natsu nodded.

"Yep! Levy's been working on a new menu for us, and Erza and Jellal are on decorating duty!"

"You _Baka!_ " Lucy instantly screeched, running up to him and hitting him on his chest. "Why would you make Erza and Levy do any work at all?! Levy's mind is too focused on the wedding, and Erza's freaking pregnant!"

Natsu tilted his head. "Oh, right. I forgot about that."

"Honestly…" Lucy muttered, turning away and taking out her phone. "I'm texting both of them to not worry about the restaurant."

"Knowing them, they'll want to work anyway," Natsu spoke.

"Yes, but it's worth a try," Lucy reasoned.

"I'm confused, but I've learned to not question it," Hibus said with a shrug, leaning back on one of the counters. "Anyway, when does all this start, Dragneel-sama?"

"A week from now," Natsu said firmly. "Until then, work your butts off and make me proud of this restaurant!"

There was a chorus of "Yeah!" before the waiters and waitresses turned to Lucy. Lucy smiled, clicking her pen shut and flipping through the thick green book in her hands.

"Shen, you're on section one. Mina and Hibus will share sections two through four. Ikki is on five. Saran, take care of six and seven. Yule, you're on section eight. Help Ikki out if you finish early; her section is the largest one I'm assigning today. Panda, work with Lervis on sections nine, ten, and eleven. Neejim will take the final section. Everyone clear?" Lucy said, marking up her notebook with a satisfied grin.

Everyone nodded, bustling around the kitchen.

Tofuya then came up to Lucy.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't assign me a section, Heartfilia," he said with a polite bow. Lucy opened her mouth in surprise.

"Oh, sorry about that Tofuya. I didn't know you were working as a waiter today," she apologized, opening her notebook again and scanning the outline of the restaurant. "Hm… I don't have any more sections available for work, but you could always be the permanent day host."

"Sounds good," Tofuya nodded, taking off his jacket and putting on a more formal one. He turned to Ro. "Remember, today's speciality is rice. Make the best food you can!"

Ro nodded firmly.

"Got it," he nodded, bowing towards his superior.

"I'll help out around the kitchen today," Lucy said. "Let me know if anyone needs anything."

Natsu grinned, watching as everyone went to work. He was incredibly proud of how far everyone had gotten throughout their time at the restaurant. Natsu couldn't believe the progress he had made as an adult, and as the owner of such an amazing building.

"Lucy, could you come here for a second?" he asked, looking over to Lucy who was currently talking to Ro about something. Lucy looked over with a small smile, waving Ro goodbye and walking up to him.

"What is it, Natsu?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about somethin'," Natsu said with a cheeky smile. He then took out a pamphlet and held it out to her.

"A chain restaurant interview?!" Lucy said, scanning the words on the brochure and flipping through it. "You want _Fairy Tail_ to become a renowned franchise?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah! I want to take a step up from the local business I've been running all these years. I wanna have people be able to eat at _Fairy Tail_ from all around the world! China, Mexico, Italy, America, Africa, India, Russia… you name it!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Wow…" she breathed out. "Natsu, I don't even know what to say! This is going to take a lot of work, and a lot of preparation, too."

"I think our team is pretty swell," Natsu smirked. "I have a deadline of four months before the interview for the company."

"So is this why you're putting all this money on renovations so soon? Because you want to leave a good impression on the judges and convince them to invest in your restaurant?" Lucy asked, still not believing her ears.

"Yup! You guessed it!" Natsu exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. "I'm all fired up now!"

Lucy's eyes softened as she looked at him. Watching as his childish excitement took over the serious moment. Leave it to Natsu to completely astound her in ways she never thought was even possible. Leave it to Natsu to completely take her breath away over and over again.

"Oh and," Natsu started again. "I don't want you to worry about the restaurant anymore."

Lucy's mouth opened to question what he meant.

"What do you-"

"I mean, I don't think it will benefit you in any way to continue working here," Natsu explained hastily, looking away from her.

Lucy stepped back in shock.

"What are you talking about?!" she said in disbelief. "Are you… firing me? After everything? After all of this?"

Natsu shook his head slowly.

"No, I'm not firing you," he said. "I'm giving you the open option to quit."

"Why the heck would I do something like that?" Lucy asked. "Why do you want me to quit, anyway? I thought I was a part of this restaurant! I thought you trusted me as your restaurant manager!"

"I do! It isn't that!" Natsu said. "It's just that… I want you to pursue your dream."

"My what?" Lucy asked.

"Your dream," Natsu repeated. "Ya know, of becoming an author?"

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at him.

"What do you mean," she asked in a tone that suggested it was more of an order than a request.

"I mean, the only reason you ever started working as a waitress was because you needed the money somehow to fend for yourself and Nashi. If you had the option, you would have just written books, but like you said in the job interview between us, it wouldn't have made enough of a profit to go by."

"That's true, but what does that have to do with anything?" Lucy asked, her stare hardening on him. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I actually enjoy working here! I've grown to become close friends with the people who work here! I think I should still be given the chance to continue working as the restaurant manager with you!"

"You like writing more!" Natsu protested. "I'm just trying to make you happy! I don't want to mess up again as your boyfriend!"

"Oh trust me, Natsu," Lucy said in quiet voice. "I'm very happy. This is the happiest I've been in ten years."

"Lucy…"

"So don't you dare try and make me quit when I'm so content with my life right now!" Lucy yelled, silencing him to his utter core.

Natsu gulped. He knew she was being serious… but did she really want this? Natsu knew that if Lucy could just write books, she'd be in her happiest place. She'd be with her friends in Magnolia, and be working her dream job. Her life would be set. She wouldn't even have to worry about money now that Natsu was back with her.

"How's the book coming along?" Natsu decided on saying, making Lucy look up at him in confusion. "You know, the book I asked you to write."

"I…" Lucy started. "I've been working on it… but it's been a little hard to write. The plot line is so…"

"It's your life, Lucy. You should try taking inspiration from what's happened to you," Natsu said softly. He didn't want to make her any more angry at him, after all.

Lucy breathed slowly, trying to contain herself.

"Alright," she agreed.

"Wanna… go out for dinner later?" Natsu suggested with a hopeful shrug.

Lucy laughed.

"A restaurant owner asking his girlfriend out on a date to another restaurant… talk about irony," she chuckled, before smiling brightly. "But yeah, sure."

"Who said it was gonna be a different restaurant?"

"We are not eating at your restaurant for a date, Natsu!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Alrighty, here we go.**

 **Yes, Nashi is going to end up with either Storm _or_ Tagg. You'll have to wait and see who it is, though. ;)**

 **Hope ya enjoyed!**


	18. Chapter 18

"I think we all just need to calm down," Levy said, walking through the doors of _Fairy Tail_ with a stack of thick magazines in her hands. She set them down on a table and faced everyone in the room with crossed arms and a determined look on her face. "Nashi is Lucy and Natsu's daughter. Think of it; she'll be happy we even considered her birthday like this from Lucy's side, and she'll be even more happy that we have food set out from Natsu's side. We're bound to win this one."

Lucy groaned, rubbing her temples and looking at the giant plate in the middle of the room. Natsu was supposed to be finished baking the cake by now, but for some reason, it was taking longer than she had initially expected. She sighed, turning around and facing her best friend with a grateful look. "Thanks, I needed that."

Levy smiled, and nodded. "Sure thing," she said. "Anyway, how much more time do we have till Wendy and Romeo are bringing her and the other kids over?"

Gajeel then answered, "Around fifteen minutes."

"Perfect," Levy nodded, opening a box from a pile of cardboard to the side of the room and grinning down at the contents. "Now everyone grab a streamer, and let's get this place decorated!"

Today was Nashi Heartfilia's birthday, and everyone had stuck to their word of throwing the now ten-year-old a huge surprise birthday party. Natsu had offered to close his restaurant for the day to host, and the chefs in the kitchen had generously agreed on catering.

Lucy was extremely stressed though. It was Nashi's first real birthday party with lots of friends and everything, so she wanted everything to be completely perfect for her daughter.

Plus, her father was set to arrive at any moment now, and she was not looking forward to the drama that was about to unfold throughout the day.

At that moment, the front door creaked open, revealing an old, scruffy looking man in a dark brown suit. His blonde hair neatly combed back, and a small suitcase in his right hand.

It was none other than Jude Heartfilia.

"Father!" Lucy exclaimed happily, running up to him and enveloping him in a tight hug. "I missed you! How was the train ride? Did you run into any trouble throughout the journey?"

Jude cracked a friendly grin. "It's wonderful to see you, Lucy. I have to admit, when I heard that you were back in Magnolia for the summer, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm glad you came back though, even if it is just for a short few months."

Lucy smiled. "Yeah, it's been fun," she said.

"Where's Nashi?" Jude asked.

"She'll be coming in later with her friends," Lucy explained.

Jude nodded, then turned to the others in the room, instantly recognizing almost everyone.

"Ah, I see you're still friends with all these fine ladies and gentlemen," he observed, going over to Gray and Juvia. "Juvia, wasn't it? Nice to see you again."

"J-Juvia is pleasured," the bluenette squeaked.

"I'm glad Lucy's old man could come and celebrate Nashi's birthday with us," Laxus said, walking up to Jude and sticking out his hand. "You haven't met me before, but my name is Laxus Dreyer."

"I recognize you from the weather channels, yes," Jude said, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Your reports always fascinate me."

Laxus smiled in surprise. "Nice to know you've heard of me," he said simply. "I'm sure you remember my wife," he continued, gesturing over to the woman standing besides him.

"The lovely Mirajane, still has pretty as ever," Jude nodded. He then glanced around the room once again, setting his eyes on a shorter woman clad in bright orange. "Levy! Lucy's best friend. It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Jude-sama!" Levy grinned.

"Levy's getting married in four days," Lucy said tauntingly, making Levy go beet red.

Jude smiled. "Oh, is that so? Well, congratulations!"

"Thank you," Levy said meekly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"And what about you, Lucy?" Jude asked, turning back to his daughter. "Do you have a new boyfriend? It's about time you get over that silly ex of yours from high school, you know."

Lucy bit her lip from the short scolding. True, she hadn't yet told her father about Natsu, but she wanted to see his reaction up close and personal.

"Uh… right, about that…" she started, nervously glancing around the room and seeing everyone's encouraging smiles. "I-"

"INCOMING!" a new voice shouted. Everybody turned to the kitchen door to see a giant five-foot tall cake rolling into the room, a team of chefs behind it, pushing it on the silver cart. Natsu was at the front of the pact, leading them in safely and setting it down on the giant plate that had already been previously put out for them.

Lucy quickly averted her gaze towards her father, watching his eyes widen as he easily recognized the pink-haired man. Natsu was wiping his forehead, scanning the room but completely missing the tall blonde man standing in their presence. His eyes sought Lucy, finding her and grinning heavily.

"Luce! I finished baking the cake exactly like you'd like it!" he stated proudly, walking up to her, much to Lucy's displeasure. "Only the best for my daughter!"

"Uh… Natsu-"

"This party's gonna be the best! Little Nashi won't even know what hit her!"

"Natsu… I really think you should-"

"I even got her an amazing present from both of us!"

"Natsu, look-"

Natsu stopped her from speaking by placing two fingers on her lips.

"Relax, Lucy," he said, shooting her a wink. "I know you're kinda stressing out about all of this, but trust me, with me hosting the party, nothing can go wrong!"

"You…" Jude started in a low voice, causing Natsu to visibly jump. "You… I remember you…"

"Dad," Lucy tried. "Let me explain."

"Natsu Dragneel," Jude breathed out, watching as Natsu and Lucy's shoulders bumped. His eyes widened as he noticed their close proximity. He roughly turned to Lucy, pointing his index finger in her face and hardening his gaze. "What is going on, young lady."

Lucy gulped. "Um… Natsu and I kind of made up?" she said, crossing her arms. She looked away, ready for the blow.

"Let me get something straight," Jude said after a few moments of awkward silence. "You got back together with the man who cheated on you, and left you pregnant and alone for another girl?"

Natsu quickly jumped into the conversation. "Actually, Jude- I mean, Sir. I never did any of that… it was all just one giant misunderstanding!"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, it really was. I was a complete idiot all those years ago," she said quietly, looking down at her feet shamefully. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Father."

Jude blinked, looking in between them. "Natsu," he said, turning to the pink-haired boy. "Do you love my daughter?"

"I never stopped," Natsu replied easily, causing everyone in the room to look at Jude in anticipation.

"Do you love my granddaughter?" Jude continued, treading in dangerous territory.

"With all o' my heart," Natsu stated, clenching his fists. "I'm still really really mad at myself for all of this, so feel free to hit me!"

Jude sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Well then, I guess I can't really do anything about this. After all, you both are grown adults," he said with a small shrug, secretly smiling at Lucy's victory. "Though, I will be keeping a very close eye on the both of you. Keep that in mind."

"Does this mean that I'm forgiven?" Natsu asked eagerly, almost jumping up from the excitement he was feeling.

"Not at all," Jude replied. "You still have a long way to go to earn my forgiveness, but this is a start, I suppose."

"I'll take it," Natsu said with a cheeky grin.

The front doors to the restaurant opened again, revealing Wendy and Romeo standing with amused expressions.

"Quick, everyone!" Wendy hissed, glancing behind her. "Take your places!"

The room was in a flurry of instant chaos. Natsu quickly grabbed Lucy's hand, leading her to the spot behind the giant cake. He ducked down, gesturing for her to follow.

"Aunt Wendy, what is going on?" they heard Nashi say.

"Close your eyes, Nashi!" Romeo encouraged.

Natsu and Lucy took this as their queue, catching Gray's eye and nodding firmly.

"Okay, you can open them now," Wendy said softly.

"SURPRISE!" the entire restaurant yelled, jumping out from their hiding spots. Natsu caught the look of pure astonishment on Nashi's face as she stepped back in shock. Lucy grinned up at her boyfriend, leaving his side in a quick instant and running up to her beloved daughter.

"Happy birthday, Nash!" she exclaimed happily, giving the small girl a rough noogie. "You're finally in the double digits!"

"Oh my gosh!" Nashi exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around her mother and grinning heartily. "This is sooo awesome!"

"Glad ya like it," Natsu said, walking up to his daughter and girlfriend. He chuckled, ruffling her long pink locks and taking her into his hold. He leaned forward, lightly pecking his lips onto her cheek and then booping her nose. "Happy birthday, Nashi!"

Lucy turned to where her father was still standing. She saw the expressions in his eyes rapidly change from love, hurt, anger, and adoration. She sighed; she knew it was going to take a while for him to completely accept her and Natsu's newfound relationship, but she would definitely be willing to wait for him.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Nashi said, giving her father a big hug. "Did you make the cake?" she asked eagerly.

Natsu laughed, and nodded.

"Yup!" he exclaimed. "Wanna try a slice?"

"Yes!" Nashi cheered.

As Natsu and Nashi were busy cutting the cake, Lucy turned to see both Tagg and Storm looking at her with a weird look in their eyes. She smiled, deciding to walk up to them and ask what was wrong.

"Everything okay, boys?" she asked, leaning down to come face to face. "Are you jealous of Nashi's birthday celebration?"

"Nah," Tagg replied. "I just… like looking at her."

"She's annoying," Storm scoffed, his eyes still lingering on the older girl. "But… I dunno, this is frustrating."

Lucy hummed.

"Seems to me like both of you have a small crush on my daughter," she said slyly.

She was shocked to see Tagg nod.

"Yep, I always have," he said easily. "I may be only ten, but still. That's old enough to know how you feel."

Lucy stared at him dumbly. "Sure, I guess."

"Oi!" Storm said, getting up to stare at Tagg. "You're not good enough for her!"

Tagg's gaze hardened. "Oh really? Do you think you're good for her, then?!"

"No, I'm only seven. Almost eight. I don't even know what you're talking about," Storm replied, biting his lip and looking away.

"Childhood crush, then?" Lucy questioned. She was so eager to see how this all would play out when the kids got older.

They were surely in for a love triangle in a few years.

"What is going on here?" Juvia asked, walking up to the three of them. Lucy turned and smiled brightly.

"Storm and Tagg both have crushes on Nashi!" she exclaimed happily.

Juvia's eyes instantly widened.

"Juvia is so shocked!" she said. "Juvia doesn't know who she ships more!"

"I'm rooting for both of you," Lucy winked, looking back to the two young rivals. "May the best boy win!"

"Or, she could go for someone entirely different," Storm said under his breath.

"Just watch her fall for Lester," Tagg added.

"Juvia think you both should think happy thoughts," Juvia said, crossing her arms. "There's no telling what will happen in the future."

"Nashi's gonna fall for me, obviously," Storm said confidently. "I won't like her back, though. I'm too cool for something like that."

"Uh huh," Tagg said in a mocking tone. "I've known her for way longer! She's going to go for me!"

"I think Natsu would have something else to say about all of this," Lucy sighed, closing her eyes and looking back at where Natsu and Nashi were standing. Jude was with them now, and by the looks of it, he was giving Nashi her present.

Lucy looked back at Tagg and Storm, who were currently making a childish bet with one another.

"I'll give you fifty jewel if you-"

"Aren't you two a little young to be gambling," Lucy said with a raised eyebrow.

Tagg and Storm's eyes widened, instantly turning to each other with accusing looks.

"You weren't supposed to let her see!" they yelled simultaneously.

"What's up here?" Nashi said, coming into view and standing in front of Storm and Tagg. They looked at her nervously.

"Um…" Storm said.

"We have a question," Tagg said.

"What?" Nashi asked curiously, not noticing the very smug looks on her mother and her aunt's faces.

"If you…" Storm started, wincing and then proceeding to barf.

"If you had to choose one of us to go out with, who would it be?" Tagg said easily, making Storm gape at him and Nashi widen her eyes.

Nashi sputtered. "Like.. in a likey-likey way?" she asked slowly.

Storm's cheeks heated up, while Tagg remained completely cool and composed.

"Like in a romantic sense," he said, crossing his arms. "You'd pick me, right? Well, obviously."

"We're _ten_ ," Nashi said, not meeting Storm's eye. "Aren't we a little too young for all of this?"

"Nope," Tagg said confidently.

"Um…" Nashi said, still not meeting Storm's eye.

"But Storm definitely is too young," Tagg said, rounding on the raven-haired boy. "He's a lil' baby."

Storm flared up in anger. "OI!"

Nashi looked at Tagg with a weird look. "Tagg, you have a few screws loose," she informed him.

"You never did answer," Storm said quietly, quickly crossing his arms and puffing his cheeks out.

Nashi finally locked eyes with him. They both instantly averted their gaze.

"You… you... I don't like you," she said slowly, quickly running off with a quick look at Tagg.

Lucy and Juvia's eyes widened as they heard what she had said. It may have passed through Storm and Tagg's ears easily, but Lucy knew her daughter. She knew that Nashi has just worked her way around the question in an extremely clever manner.

Juvia had seemed to catch on too.

"Lucy-san," she said, turning to the blonde. "Your daughter is something else."

Lucy smirked.

"At times like this, I'm glad she got her brain from me," she said. "Sorry, Tagg."

…

Natsu sighed, opening the door to the back of the restaurant. He rolled the large bucket of trash to the giant can that was up against the brick walls.

"Natsu Dragneel," a new voice said, cutting into his thoughts. Natsu turned to see Jude Heartfilia standing there.

Natsu coughed.

"Oh. Hi, Ju- I mean, Sir," he said, quickly catching his mistake.

Jude clicked his tongue. "I won't ask about what happened between you and my daughter, if that's what you're wondering."

Natsu nodded stiffly. "Okay," he said, continuing to empty out the trash can.

"She really is very fragile," Jude said suddenly. "She can get hurt very easily, even if she doesn't show it very often."

"Lucy's really strong," Natsu agreed.

"It's one of her most admirable qualities," Jude said.

"Mhm," Natsu hummed, as the two fell into awkward silence. Then, Natsu remembered something. "I wanted to ask you something, actually."

"Oh?" Jude said, turning to the pink-haired man expectantly. "Alright then. Go ahead," he prompted.

Natsu gulped. He knew it was now or never. Jude would be gone the next morning, and this would be the only time they would be alone after the party.

"I wanted… I wanted your full blessing," he said quietly.

Jude lifted an eyebrow.

"My full blessing?" he inquired. "What do you mean by that?"

"Back before Nashi arrived, you told me you didn't fully trust me with Lucy," Natsu explained. "I wanted to know how I can change that."

Jude looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Once you make my daughter completely happy, you'll get my full blessing," he said.

Natsu knew what he meant, of course.

"Yeah," he said, leaning back on the walls of the restaurant. "Listen, I've built myself a profession. Money isn't a problem."

"I can see that," Jude nodded.

"And I have a big enough house for both of them," Natsu said frantically. "You can't hold me against this stuff."

"I'm not," Jude said simply.

"Jude," Natsu said strongly, making the older man look at him with a mysterious look in his eyes.

"Yes, Natsu?" he asked.

"Please allow me to marry your daughter," Natsu finished, clenching his hands into fists and narrowing his eyes. Natsu saw Jude visibly stiffen. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he appeared to take the information in.

"Natsu, let me ask you again," he said. "Do you love my daughter?"

"I do," Natsu said, biting his lip.

"Do you love my granddaughter?"

"I do."

"Will you always love my daughter?"

"Of course I will! Who do you take me as?"

"I was just making sure," Jude said, putting up his hands in defense. He then walked up closer to Natsu and placed his hand on his head. "Well then, from now on I'll consider you as my son."

Natsu looked absolutely overjoyed to hear that. "You mean it?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

Jude nodded curtly. "Yes, but you better have something extraordinary planned," he said.

Natsu gulped.

"That doesn't add any pressure to me at all," he said. "But yeah, I won't ask her too soon. Maybe in a few weeks… or months…"

Jude chuckled under his breath. "Let's keep it to a few weeks."

Natsu laughed. "Yeah."

"Do me a favor, will you, Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep her happy."

Natsu smiled.

"Okay."

* * *

 **Author's Note: You can tell this story's slowly coming to a close. I have around two or three chapters planned for after this?**

 **Hope you enjoyed. c:**


	19. Chapter 19

"What if I forget my vows?!"

"Levy."

"What if _he_ forgets his vows?!"

"Levy."

"What if everything goes completely wrong?"

" _Levy_."

"Oh Lucy, what am I going to-"

"LEVY!"

Lucy looked at her best friend with an exasperated look. She groaned from the mild headache she was beginning to get.

"Oh! Are you alright, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, momentarily forgetting about her troubles and rushing to the blonde's side.

"Just peachy," Lucy replied with a forced smile. "Though, that wouldn't be happening if a certain someone was less paranoid about her big day."

Levy winced. "Right, right. Sorry about that."

"Anyway," Lucy said. "You're going to do great! I know you and Gajeel both are going to be amazing tonight!"

Levy blushed under her stare. "Thanks, Lu."

"Now, let's get this party dress on, and let's go have a blast at your bachelorette party!" Lucy squealed, throwing her arms into the air. Lucy and Levy gave each other mischievous looks, instantly making a break for the wardrobe and going through the many dresses on the racks.

"This one would look amazing on you!" Levy exclaimed, holding up a blue cocktail dress with a green fringe at the bottom. "Blue and green make an amazing combination."

"Hm… I was thinking more pink for me," Lucy said with a thoughtful smirk. "However… you should totally wear blue!"

"Blue? Me?" Levy asked, startled. "But I was planning on wearing orange! I'm wearing blue for the wedding ceremony!"

"Which is exactly why your party dress should be blue too!" Lucy said, returning to the racks to explore some more. "Besides, you wear orange ninety-percent of the time. It's time to try something new!"

Levy huffed. "Fine," she grumbled, catching the long blue dress Lucy had thrown her and heading for the changing room.

Lucy laughed, taking a shorter pink ensemble and entering the fitting room besides the bluenette.

"Getting ready without us?" a new voice said just as Lucy and Levy stepped out. They were both happy to see Erza, Juvia, Cana, Wendy, and Evergreen standing holding their own dresses in their hands.

Lucy squealed, going to everyone's side and examining their choice of clothes.

"These are perfect!" she exclaimed, rushing them all into their respective changing rooms and turning back to Levy. "Time for your sexy maid of honor to do your makeup for you!"

Levy rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with," she said, taking a seat in front of the giant vanity mirror. "By the way, that dress looks amazing on you, Lu!"

Lucy laughed. "Yours does too, Lev, but I'm sure you've already heard that from enough people already."

"True," Levy said honestly.

As the other women stepped out from their changing rooms, they went over to the makeup counter to begin picking out their colors for the night.

"Now let's go party at the club Lucy rented for us!" Wendy said, ruffling her hair and striking a pose.

Everyone laughed, grabbing their purses and heading for the door.

This was going to be great.

As they entered the club, which had been decorated with pictures of Levy and Gajeel throughout the time they had been dating, Erza turned to everyone.

"Jellal and I made an appointment today for right before the wedding to find out the gender of the baby," she said nervously, playing with her hair. "We're really hoping for a girl… I mean, _I'm_ really hoping for a girl."

"Well duh, of course you are!" Evergreen said, crossing her arms. "I don't even know how I could live with four sons under one roof."

Erza nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "It's always been a dream of mine to someday raise a beautiful baby girl and make her a strong individual!"

"Girls are pretty fun," Lucy and Juvia agreed.

Wendy smiled along with the conversation. "Well, whatever gender your baby turns out to be, I'm sure you'll love it!"

Erza nodded again. "Of course."

…

"This is literally going to be horrible," Gajeel grunted, trying not to barf as a few people surrounded him and tried to put some kind of powder on his face. "I don't understand why I need this stuff! This is what the girls are supposed to do!"

Gray snickered. "They're making you beautiful," he said with a teasing smirk.

"What it, Ice Block," Gajeel said with a gruff glare.

"Say Natsu," Loke suddenly spoke up. "Where did you plan the bachelor party for this afternoon?"

Natsu looked up from his phone with a raised eyebrow.

"I was thinking we could just go to _Fairy Tail_ or something and order ramen to go," he said with a shrug.

All the guys blinked.

Then they all turned to look at each other.

"Sounds great let's do it," they all agreed with a nod, grabbing their things and running out the door.

Once they took a booth in the restaurant, Romeo turned to everyone.

"I want some girl advice," he started.

Everyone 'ooo'd' at that.

"About Wendy?" Gajeel questioned.

Romeo nodded.

"Yeah… I'm planning on proposing soon, actually."

Natsu almost spit out his drink. There it was _again_. That blasted topic that had kept popping up out of nowhere.

Gray, who had noticed Natsu's distress, patted him on the back.

"You gotta do it soon, Natsu," he reminded. "I've seen the calls you get from Lucy's father everyday. He wants to know; he's impatient. Hell, I'm impatient too."

Natsu groaned, rubbing his temple.

"I know I know," he muttered. "But I'm just trying to come up with the best way of doing it, ya' know?"

Everyone grimaced.

"I really don't think Gray knows anything about that," Jellal reminded him.

Natsu nodded. "Right. That's true."

"OI!" Gray yelled in protest. "My proposal was totally romantic in every sense and every way!"

"Keep believing," Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"You gotta play to the girl's emotions," Laxus suddenly started, making everybody turn to him. "Show her that you took her feelings into account. Don't pull something shitty together at the last minute because you didn't know any better."

Romeo nodded. "Yeah, I got that much at least," he muttered. "But I still don't know how I'm supposed to do it!"

"Don't you and Wendy own a cat shelter together?" Jellal questioned.

Romeo nodded. "Yeah, we do. Why?"

"Well why not incorporate that into the proposal?" Jellal kept going.

"Knowing Wendy, she'll like anything," Gajeel added.

Romeo slowly made an 'o' shape with his mouth. "That's… actually not a bad idea. Thanks, guys!"

"Of course," everyone nodded.

"I'm still completely doomed," Natsu said, putting his head in his hands and sighing deeply. "I already messed up once in my life, but I don't wanna make Luce feel like she isn't important to me."

"Alright… well why don't you do something related to the restaurant, then?" Loke suggested casually. "I mean, you two are there practically the entire day. And besides, aren't renovations starting in a couple weeks?"

Natsu nodded.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Maybe you could have some help from the other employees!" Jellal said. "That could definitely work if you could pull it off."

Natsu almost looked like he was thinking for a few seconds.

"I guess," he said with indifference. "But I'm going to make it really awesome, too!"

Everyone nodded at that.

…

"Okay, now I'm officially freaking out," Levy said, pulling at her hair and running around her room. Lucy sweat-dropped from the couch besides her, watching as her best friend made a complete fool of herself in front of no one in particular.

"No need to be so worried!" Lucy assured. "Everything's going to be fine!"

"How do you _know_ that though?" Levy said, going up to her counter and taking a makeup remover wipe. She forcefully started to rub all of the foundation she had on from the bachelorette party. "I mean, anything could go wrong. Last minute changes, forgetting something important… you name it!"

"There aren't going to be any last minute changes, and no one is going to forget anything!" Lucy said. "The weddings in under an hour now, so let's finish your makeup quickly so we can put on your dress."

Levy frowned in annoyance, fumbling with the tube of lipstick in her hands.

"I'm so clumsy," she mumbled, sighing as Lucy decided to take over. "It's a wonder why Gajeel even decided to marry someone like me."

"Maybe it's because loves you?" Lucy suggested.

"Funny enough, he's never actually said it to me," Levy said, making Lucy's jaw drop.

"Wait a minute… he's _never said he loves you_?"

"Nope. I mean, it's understood between us, but he's never actually said the three words out loud to me before," Levy explained. "I just think he's a little coward."

"In all your… what, almost nine years of dating?"

"Yep. I've never heard it out of his mouth," Levy repeated with a chuckle. "I don't mind though. Something tells me he's saving it for sometime special."

Lucy pinched her lips together, and decided it would be best to not go any further with the topic.

"There we go…" she whispered partially to herself as she finished dabbing the last bit of concealer. "Now let's go to where the bridesmaids are waiting and get a good look at your dress!"

Levy smiled, linking arms with Lucy as both of them made their way to the dressing room.

"There's the bride to be!" Cana cheered as they entered. The other girls looked up in excitement.

"I just finished trimming your dress, Levy," Erza said, stepping aside so the bluenette could see.

"It's so beautiful…" Levy breathed, reaching out to touch the baby blue and white material. "Thank you so much, Erza."

"Of course," Erza replied with a somewhat sad smile.

Everyone looked at her curiously.

"Is something the matter, Erza?" Evergreen asked.

"Did something happen?" Lucy asked.

Erza quickly shook her head, her eyes continuously darting towards her stomach. It was then when Levy appeared to remember something.

"Oh! That's right! What's the gender of the baby?" she asked excitedly.

Everyone else's eyes widened and their spirits lifted, proceeding to interrogate Erza about her baby.

"We're…" Erza started softly, tears brimming around her eyes. "We're having another boy."

The room fell into an awkward silence. No one dared to say anything, but none could truly understand the pain Erza was feeling.

"I mean, it isn't that I'm sad or angry about it," she continued. "It's just… Jellal's face when he found out…"

"Was he sad?" Juvia asked.

Erza shook her head.

"No… but I think he looked like that because of all the fuss I was making about wanting a baby girl," she explained. "I can't even look at him anymore. I let him down."

"Of course you didn't, Erza," Lucy said, walking up to her to comfort the scarlet-haired woman. "Jellal is your husband. He loves you. He won't do anything bad like that, and you know it."

"Yeah!" Juvia joined in. "Besides, you can borrow Juvia's daughter."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah! You can share Nashi with me, too!"

"Well, I suppose you could play with Greenie a bit," Evergreen said.

"Asuka is all yours," Bisca said with a smile.

Erza's eyes crinkled and her smile widened. "Thank you, girls. Thank you so much," she said softly. "You're all the best."

"Of course," Lucy winked. "I'm sure your son will grow into a fine young man. I'm really looking forward to meeting him in a few months."

Erza nodded.

"I know, I am too."

…

"Is this seat taken?" Nashi asked, walking up to where Tagg and Storm were sitting. The wedding reception was going to be starting soon, and Nashi wanted to get a good seat in the hall. There was an empty seat right between Tagg and Storm, and since it was in the front row, Nashi was determined to get it.

Tagg looked up and nodded. "Yep, it's all yours."

Nashi nodded, gratefully sitting down and slumping back. "I'm so tired… Mom and the others are with Aunt Levy, so I'm so bored."

"Typical," Storm muttered, not looking up from his game console.

Nashi narrowed her eyes. "It isn't very polite to be playing games while the wedding preparations are happening, you know."

Storm shrugged. "That's what a noob would say."

Nashi sighed out of exasperation. "Sure sure," she muttered.

"Are you looking forward to the wedding?" Tagg asked, determined to make some small talk. He wasn't going to let Storm steal this opportunity from him.

"Heck yeah!" Nashi said. "I've never been to a wedding before, so this is nice!"

"I went to Aunt Evergreen and Uncle Elfman's," Storm said. "It was fun."

"How old were you?" Tagg asked out of curiosity.

"Only two or three," Storm said, not taking his eyes off of the game he was playing. "It was still fun. Mom was pregnant with Sylvia at the time."

"Did Nii-chan say Sylvia's name?" Sylvia said, suddenly appearing besides her brother. Storm almost jumped out of his seat, throwing a glare to his sister who looked positively startled. "Sylvia means- I mean! Did you say my name, Storm-niichan?"

Storm rolled his eyes, finally putting away his video game and turning to his sister with a tired look. "You know what, I don't even care anymore. Talk in third person all you want."

Sylvia appeared to literally light up in delight. She grinned heavily. "Thank you, Nii-chan!" she exclaimed happily, swinging her legs underneath her seat and plastering on a goofy grin.

"You're so silly, Sylvia," Nashi laughed.

"Sylvia is glad you think so, Nashi-chan!" Sylvia said. "Now Sylvia can speak however she wants!"

Storm looked guilty suddenly.

"What's up, everyone?" Lester said, taking a seat besides Tagg. "I just had to go drop Greenie off at the flower girls spot."

"Hey," Jay said, sitting next to Sylvia. "I was just with Velza. He's the ring bearer."

Sylvia looked positively delighted that Jay had sat next to her.

"H-hello, Jay-kun," she said quietly, playing with her fingers. Jay turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, Sylvia," he said, turning back to the others. "Who are we missing?"

"No one," Nashi said, looking across the rows of seats. "Eugene is with Aunt Erza, right?"

"Aunt Erza… wasn't she supposed to find out if her baby was a girl or boy today?" Sylvia asked.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to have another little brother!" he exclaimed. "I mean, who likes girls anyway?"

Nashi looked at him with a curious stare.

"Did you… want a sister?" she asked quietly.

The others watched Jay's reaction closely. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and his demeanor changed into one of a slouch.

"No! It isn't that, I just… I dunno, being the oldest of four boys," Jay said, cutting off at a higher pitch.

"Right," Nashi said, crossing her arms and turning to Storm. "Storm has a little sister. Why don't you ask him what it's like?"

Storm looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"It's annoying," he said curtly, which made Jay completely deflate.

"I still wanted one…" he said quietly. "Then I could play the overprotective older brother, and make fun of her for having girly best friends!"

Storm rolled his eyes. "Trust me, it's nothing great," he said, completely missing Sylvia's expression as he spoke.

Nashi immediately flared up.

"How could you say something like that," she said quietly. "Why can't you just appreciate the stuff that you have?"

"Huh?" Storm asked, looking at the pink-haired girl.

"All of you need to realize how lucky you are!" Nashi said, gaining a fire in her eyes. "You all have happily married parents! You all grew up with your dad!"

"Nashi…" Tagg said slowly.

"Whatever," Nashi huffed, sitting back down and crossing her arms. "Let's just wait for Levy to come on."

After that, the children fell into an awkward silence as they waited for the groom to walk up to the altar. Soon, Gajeel had indeed come up with Natsu by his side. The kids watched as he took a deep breath. Natsu was telling him something, but they were too far away to hear anything.

The children watched in awe as other people started filing into the room. Nashi looked back up to the altar to see her father waving at her. She smiled, lifting her hand to wave back.

Then, the bridal music began.

"That means Aunt Levy is about to come!" Lester whispered to the others. Everyone nodded in awe, hearing the large double doors at the back of the room open. They all turned to see Levy, with Lucy besides her, and Greenie and Velza in front of them.

Everyone stood, watching as Levy stepped down the aisle, looking directly at Gajeel. Gajeel, though, had a small taint of pink covering his cheeks as he stared at his bride.

When Levy climbed the altar, Lucy stepped aside to go stand with Gajeel's best man. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand instinctively as they watched the ceremony go on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the officiant said, gesturing for everyone to sit down again. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox. I believe they have prepared their own vows for us to hear."

Gajeel cleared his throat. "Right… uh, hi Shrimp," he started, making Levy smile. "It's been what, almost fifteen years since I first met you? Yeah… it's been a while. We've been dating for almost nine of those, but I gotta say that I've liked you since the first day I saw you."

There was a chorus of 'aww' ringing throughout the reception as Gajeel continued.

"I've always wanted to save this for the perfect moment… but I think this is good enough," he said, taking his short partner's hands into his own and gulping. "Levy, I love you."

Lucy gasped, clutching Natsu's hand harder as Levy opened her mouth, tears trying their hardest to escape.

"Idiot," she whispered. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that…"

"Will Levy-san please deliver her vows?" the officiant asked.

Levy coughed, and nodded.

"Gajeel, I've always loved you. Ever since day one," she said. "So this is kinda nice, being able to stand here today and all. Um… I don't really know what else to say, so yeah. I love you. Thanks for everything."

Levy's vows earned a few laughs around the room.

"Very well then," the officiant said. "Gajeel-san, do you take Levy McGarden to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and health, till death do you part?"

"Yeah," Gajeel said stiffly.

"And do you, Levy-san take Gajeel Redfox to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and health, till death do you part?"

Levy nodded. "I do."

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant finished. "You may kiss the bride."

And with that, the cheers around the room almost drowned the kiss Gajeel and Levy shared.

…

"Had a good time?"

Lucy turned to see Natsu standing behind her, his arms crossed as he looked up at the starry night. Lucy nodded, gesturing to the spot on the grass besides her for him to sit. Natsu came up, sitting down as the two of them lay in the grass.

"This part of the park is nice," Lucy said. "I used to like coming here when I was in junior high."

"Yeah, I know," Natsu said. "I may or may not have been following you when you disappeared after class all those times."

"Oi!" Lucy screeched, lightly bumping him on the shoulder.

Natsu turned to look at her.

"The wedding was… nice, wasn't it?" he asked slowly.

Lucy nodded eagerly, still looking up at all the constellations.

"Yeah, it was," she replied.

Natsu gulped. He stared at her, not daring to look away.

"Uh… hey Luce?" he said, getting up to look at her more clearly. Lucy averted her gaze to make eye-contact with him.

"Yeah, what is it, Natsu?" she asked, using her elbows to prop herself up. "Is something wrong?"

"Could I ask you something?"

Lucy looked confused, but nodded for him to continue. "Sure," she said completely sitting up. She stretched out her hands and let out a casual yawn. "Go ahead."

It was now or never.

"Would you like to… what I mean is… agh, how am I supposed ta' say this…" Natsu stuttered, playing with his fingers and not looking at her.

"Just spit it out," Lucy said with an eye roll. "It'll be easier if you just say whatever you want to say."

"Right," Natsu said, taking a deep breath. "I was wondering… if you… maybe wanted to…?"

"Yeah?" Lucy encouraged.

"Oh to hell with it," Natsu said, turning around so he wasn't looking directly at her. "Will you please stay?"

Lucy blinked.

"What?"

"Like, will you not go back to Acalypha after the summer?" Natsu explained.

Lucy's face broke into a grin. "Oh yeah, sure," she said. "I won't leave."

Natsu smiled. "Awesome!" he said. "I'm all fired up now!"

"What was so hard about asking that?" Lucy asked.

"It's just that everyone's been pesterin' me about asking you and stuff, so I thought I'd just get it over with right now," Natsu said.

Lucy cocked her head to the side. "Really? They've been bugging you about asking me that?"

"You have no idea," Natsu said, shaking his head in annoyance. "Even your dad!"

"My _father_ told you to ask me that?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, along with all the other guys in the gang," Natsu said, sighing. "Well, now that that's been taken care of, can I kiss you?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at his request. "What? Why? Why now?"

"Because it seems fitting in the moment!" Natsu said, throwing his hands into the air. "Besides, now that I finally asked you, don't you think I deserve a kiss?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, still a little confused about what he was talking about.

Then, she kissed him.

After all, he had asked.

…

Natsu marched into Gray's house a few hours later, not bothering to reply to his multiple protests and noises of disgust as he made his way to the couch. He grinned heavily, seating himself down and leaning back with a smirk.

"Okay, why do you have that stupidly smug look on your face?" he asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

Natsu chuckled. "It's because I just did the impossible!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Gray asked.

Natsu grinned. "I just proposed to Lucy!"

Gray's jaw dropped as the information sunk in. He couldn't believe his ears. _Natsu_ , the dense idiot who didn't know the first thing about girls, had just proposed to his girlfriend. Gray didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. There was no way in hell this was actually happening.

"No way," Gray said, shaking his head over and over again. "I don't believe it."

Natsu shrugged. "Fine then, don't believe me," he said. "But just so you know, it did in fact happen."

"Alright then, if I did believe you, in a hypothetical situation," Gray started again. "What did she say?"

Natsu then proceeded to give him two thumbs up.

"She said yes! She said she's gonna stay!"

Gray tilted his head in confusion. "Stay? Stay where?" he asked. "What are you talking about… wait. Enlighten me, Natsu. How did you just propose to Lucy, exactly?"

"I asked her to stay with me even after the summer! She agreed to not move back to Acalypha!" Natsu exclaimed proudly.

Gray's jaw almost dropped. This… this idiot.

"You stupid Flame-for-brains!" Gray screeched, hitting Natsu on his chest with an exasperated sigh. "So you didn't actually get down on one knee?"

"What? No," Natsu said, confused. "Why would I do something like that?"

"And you didn't even mention the word 'marry'?" Gray continued, as if he didn't hear Natsu's reply.

"Nope."

"NATSU, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!"

* * *

 **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:**

 **Let's just get right to the chase. I have a sequel planned out for this story!**

 **Yep! A few days ago, I was thinking about what I wanted to do as my next project for after I finish Business Class. I was initially planning on doing an epilogue chapter as the final chapter, but then I thought, "Actually, this could go somewhere", so I took out my story planning notebook and began to draft out a plot for a sequel.**

 **Let me just tell you, I'm** _ **extremely**_ **pleased with the plotline.**

 **It is still going to be a NaLu story, but now it will focus more on the next generation. You'll get to see the quirks of Nashi, Storm, Tagg, Sylvia, plus all the other children! (Meaning that the question of 'Who does Nashi end up with?' will** **not** **be answered in this story, but rather in the sequel).**

 **More information (including the plotline), will be given at the end of chapter 21, which I've decided is going to be the final chapter of this story.**

 **Though, I will give you this little tidbit: The sequel will be taken place** _ **eight years**_ **after the events of Business Class.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See ya' in chapter 20!**


	20. Chapter 20

"Wait a minute… so you're saying that Natsu didn't propose… but he _thought_ he proposed?" Jellal said slowly a few days later. Natsu nodded, looking down at his feet while Gray just burst into continuous laughter.

"This idiot thought that asking his girlfriend to not move back is the same as asking her to marry him!" he screeched, mirth filling his voice. "I swear, if Gajeel was here, he would literally give you a pounding of his own!"

Gajeel and Levy had left for their honeymoon trip two days ago. They were going to a resort in the Americas, and wouldn't be back till next week.

"It's exactly like how it was when the two of you started dating," Laxus said in amusement.

Natsu pursed his lips together, not wanting to deal with this at the moment. "Okay, well, it's an easy mistake to make!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms and pouting childishly.

"I'm starting to see what Gray and Gajeel keep saying," Laxus said. "You really are an idiot, Salamander. Stupid _baka_."

Natsu grumbled something under his breath, and decided to ignore the other comments he was getting from everyone about his dilemma.

"I don't know what I'm supposed ta' do!" he said. "Someone please tell me how you're supposed to propose to someone, because I don't have a clue!"

"Well, it depends on what you're aiming for, honestly," Jellal said. "If you're going for something traditional, take Lucy out for a nice dinner and propose during dessert. If you're going for something more exciting, do something a little more creative. I don't know, but do something nice, that's all."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate whatever you do," Romeo said kindly. "Lucy isn't the kind of girl to want giant things given to her. She's content with whatever she has, and as long as she has you, she'll be satisfied."

"Romeo's right," Jellal said. "He's absolutely right."

"I don't know… I want to do something Luce totally isn't expecting, ya' know?" Natsu said. "But I also want to keep it simple, but also romantic, but also simple, and also really cool looking, and also simple, and also-"

"Why not do something relating to when you were first dating?" Loke suggested. "It's romantic, sweet, and reenacting a memory from your earlier days is always a nice option."

Natsu bit lip his inwardly, trying to remember any good memory he and Lucy shared that had been memorable enough to both of them.

"Then again," Loke started, "you could always do a _bad_ memory."

And just like that, it clicked.

"I've got it," Natsu said, getting up from his seat with a determined look in his eyes. "But I need all of your help."

The guys smirked.

…

Natsu strolled up to Lucy the next day at the restaurant. Lucy looked up from her record book curiously, watching with a raised eyebrow as her boyfriend slammed his fists onto the table she was working at.

"Luce," he started strongly. "I want you to come with me tonight. I want to show you something."

Lucy gave him a peculiar look.

"Um, alright," she said, flipping her book shut and turning to face him. "Where're you taking me? Some really nice restaurant? A pretty park?"

"Uh… it's a surprise," Natsu said dumbly. "I ain't gonna tell you."

Lucy nodded, still a little unsure about what was happening. "Alright then. Should we meet up somewhere?"

Natsu offered his hand to her. "I'll come by to your apartment at around six o'clock tonight. Drop Nashi off at Gray and Juvia's place," he said.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Gray and Juvia? Did they volunteer to babysit? We usually leave Nashi Romeo and Wendy, so…"

"Nah, I've already got everything covered," Natsu said casually, leaning onto the table and sitting across her. He reached over, playing with her hair as she cautiously looked at him.

"You… don't seem like yourself today, Natsu," Lucy observed. "Is something wrong? Did something go wrong with the restaurant?"

Natsu quickly shook his head. "No no! Everything's fine, Luce!" he said, gently calming her nerves. "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about tonight?"

"Nervous?" Lucy asked. "Why would you be nervous?"

Natsu sighed, shrugging and shaking his head. "Just a little worried, I guess."

Lucy gave him a confused look, but didn't question him any further.

"Greetings, my lovelies!" a new voice chimed. Lucy and Natsu turned around to see Tofuya standing in the doorway, watching them with interest. Natsu immediately let go of Lucy's hair. He got up, facing Tofuya head on.

"Oh, hi Tofu!" he said, offering a cheeky grin. "What's up?"

"Nothing, nothing," Tofuya said, coming closer. "Hey, have you guys seen Saran and Ro around anywhere?"

Lucy nodded. "They were together in the staff lounge the last time I saw them," she said, clicking her pen to her chin. "They should probably still be there, since I haven't given out the afternoon assignments yet."

Tofuya sighed thoughtfully. "They were together… hmm…" he muttered.

"Why? Is that wrong?" Lucy asked, getting more and more curious.

Tofuya chuckled. "Nah, it's just that I'm eagerly waiting for the good news," he explained. "For Ro to accept Saran as his girlfriend."

Lucy almost dropped her pen. "Ro and _Saran_?" she asked with interest. "Why would… what?"

Tofuya clicked his tongue. "Oh right, yes. Wasn't Ro your boyfriend? Didn't you break up a few weeks ago?"

Lucy nodded. "That's right," she said.

"What's up with Ro and Sar?" Natsu spoke up.

"Saran asked him out," Tofuya explained. "I heard about it from Ro, actually."

Lucy's eyes widened, and her face lifted into a smile. "Really? That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, except that Ro has been holding on his answer for almost a month now," Tofuya said, before sighing. "It really is getting very tiring. I've been trying to get them together ever since that day when I found out they had a thing for each other."

"They did?" Natsu asked with a weird look. "Because Sar had actually confessed to me a while ago."

Tofuya rubbed his temples, nodding. "I know. I heard about that too," he said. "In any case, I'd really like to push Ro into giving Saran his answer soon enough. The poor girl is clearly being led on by him. I don't like people who do that to the ones who love them. It's just so cruel and tiring from an outsider's perspective."

"I could always give him a little push into it," Lucy said, shrugging. "After all, he's still one of my closest co-workers."

Tofuya nodded with a grateful smile. "You're the best, Heartfilia."

"Uh… call me Lucy," Lucy said bashfully. Tofuya nodded once again, before turning back to Natsu.

"How are the preparations for the renovations going?" he asked.

"They're set to happen in a few weeks," Natsu explained. "Throughout the next few days, I'm going to have to get ready for them. We gotta take out everything before the company arrives."

"I'll help," Lucy said instantly. "Just name what you want me to do."

Natsu grinned. "Thanks, Luce!"

"I'll get Jeenim and Nimjee to help out as well," Tofuya nodded. "I heard you're trying out for the chain restaurant business?"

Natsu nodded happily. "Yes! It's going to take a few years before I get officially recognized by the association, but when it happens, I'll make sure to present _Fairy Tail_ with a bang!"

"I'm sure they'll be cooperative," Tofuya said, snapping his wrists and giving Lucy one final smile. "I'd better go. Remember your promise, Lucy!"

"Of course," Lucy agreed. "I'll go and talk to Ro right away."

Once Tofuya left the room, Natsu turned to his girlfriend with a pout.

"Do you really have to ditch me to go talk to your ex right now?" he asked in a babyish tone.

Lucy rolled her eyes, lightly slapping his shoulder.

"Don't be immature," she said, before exiting the kitchen and heading towards the staff lounge.

…

Lucy entered the lounge, her eyes set straight on Ro as she walked up to him with a clear and confident stance.

"Ro, I want to speak with you," she said, gesturing for him to follow her. Ro looked at her once, before giving Saran an apology and following the blonde. Lucy led him to the back of the restaurant, not stopping once. Ro kept wandering his eyes around as he questioned what all of this was about.

"Uh… Lucy?" he asked slowly, raising an eyebrow at her. "What is it? I was talking to Saran."

Lucy smirked. "Oh, you were talking to _Saran_ , were you?" she said, sauntering over to him. Ro gulped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Lucy sighed, twirling her hair through her fingers. "Though, I did hear some things from Tofuya about you and Saran…"

Ro gaped at her. "That bastard! I knew he couldn't he trusted!"

Lucy laughed. "Nevermind that, but why didn't you tell me?!"

"Thought it might be a little awkward, you know," Ro replied in a sarcastic tone. "We were boyfriend and girlfriend, after all."

Lucy almost snorted. "Oh please. We don't have to consider that anymore since we're still friends," she said, crossing her arms and shooting him a glare. "Honestly, quit being so paranoid about everything."

"Whatever," Ro muttered. "Anyway, whatever you heard from Tofuya is plain crap, okay? Don't listen to anything he said."

"You've been leading her on, you know," Lucy said, completely ignoring his previous statement.

"N-no I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"Shut up," Ro whispered. "No one's ever confessed to me, you know? This is all really new and stuff."

"Oh don't play innocent virgin on me," Lucy said with a roll of her tongue. "You know as well as I do that you want this. You know you've always held Saran dear to your heart."

"Well, yeah… but how is someone even supposed to respond to that kind of thing?" he asked incredulously. "It's so much easier being the one who initiates everything. Therefore you're already in terms with whatever nonsense you're feeling and you're already prepared for both rejection and reconsideration."

"Sometimes I wish Natsu could speak proper Japanese instead of cutting up all his words like he usually does," Lucy muttered mostly to herself, which earned her a snort of laughter from the raven-haired man standing opposite her. "Anyway, even if you're not the one confessing, you should still get back to her as soon as possible, you know? It isn't right for you to stay this static about everything."

"I know," Ro said, biting his bottom lip. "But how am I supposed to go about this? Should I do it over text? After work? Gahh this is so confusing!"

"No, don't do it over text. That makes it seem like you're doing it half-heartedly and that you don't really hold Saran dear to your heart," Lucy said quickly. "Tell her in person, somewhere special to both of you."

"This is so much work," Ro said, huffing to himself. "Why can't I just confess to her instead? That would make life so much easier."

"Oh quit whining like a baby," Lucy said sternly. "You need to act your age for once and go get yourself the girl!"

"Remind me never to come to you ever again for relationship advice."

"You never came to me; I came to _you_."

"Which is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"You're such a kid!"

"Don't insult me!"

Lucy held back for just a moment, before breaking into a grin.

"Hey Ro?" she started. "It's moments like these when I'm glad we cut things off."

Ro seemed to catch onto what she was saying, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad we could still be such good friends," he said with a kind smile.

Lucy started to laugh, which prompted Ro into doing the same. The two stood there for a while, drowning in the other's sounds of mirth.

…

True to his word, Natsu was standing outside Lucy's apartment door at exactly six o'clock, mentally preparing himself. He quickly checked his back pocket once again to see if the boxed ring hadn't run away, and turned back to the doorbell, trying his hardest not to freak out.

He was being silly, really. Why wouldn't Lucy accept? Or maybe she would want more time to be just his girlfriend before being pushed into something like marriage. His eyes bore holes into the front door, his arms glued to his sides as he tried to figure out how all of this would work.

The guys had been a big help, though. They gave him a step-by-step guide on how to propose, and Natsu had never felt more prepared for anything in his life. He was definitely ready for this. He would go and propose to his girlfriend, and she would accept and then proceed to shower him with kisses.

It would all work out _fine_.

Absolutely.

Possibly.

Hopefully.

Maybe.

Possibly not.

' _Stop it, stupid brain,'_ Natsu said to himself mentally, trying to shake such thoughts out of his mind.

"Uh… Natsu?"

Natsu snapped back into reality, blinking twice before looking at Lucy, who was standing in a pair of sweats in front of him.

"Oh! Uh… hey, Luce!" he tried, scratching the back of his neck.

Lucy quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I've been calling your name for over a minute," she said bluntly.

"That's cool," Natsu said, still in a daze. He cleared his throat, offering her his elbow to grasp. "Well then, shall we?"

"Um, no," Lucy said instantly, shaking her head at his hand.

Natsu's eyes widened. Oh no. His worst nightmare was beginning before it even started.

"W-why not?!"

"I haven't changed yet, silly," Lucy said with an eye roll.

Oh.

"Oh! Okie," Natsu said, inviting himself in.

"I wasn't expecting you to come on time, that's why I haven't gotten ready yet," Lucy explained, causing Natsu to scoff.

"Right right. All these excuses," he said.

Lucy laughed, gesturing for him to sit on the couch while she went into her room to get changed.

She was back in about ten minutes, dressed in a pair of white jeans and a pretty pink floral top. Her hair was down and wavy, and her face was adorned with light makeup. She slung her purse over her shoulders and went to the shoe rack and slipped on her sandals.

"Alright, now I'm ready," she said, turning to the pink-haired guy on her couch with an affirmative nod. "Let's go!"

Natsu led them onto the streets, putting his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans and looking at the girl to his right.

"You're lookin' really nice!" he complimented. Lucy turned to him with a surprised smile.

"Thank you, Natsu!" she said, shooting him a grin. "So, where're we going?"

Natsu mysteriously smiled at that. "You'll see," he said vaguely.

He then grabbed her hand and led her through the streets of Magnolia. Occasionally, they would pass a regular customer of _Fairy Tail_ , and Natsu didn't hesitate to go strike up a short conversation with them. The whole ordeal made Lucy very happy.

"It's nice to see you being so considerate towards your people," she said as he rejoined her. Natsu waved to the mother and child that were crossing the street, before looking back at his girlfriend with a wide smile.

"It's always nice to talk to people! Especially if you barely even know 'em!" he exclaimed, before turning into a familiar road. "We're almost there, by the way."

"I know this place from somewhere…" Lucy whispered, looking around at the line of small houses. Natsu smirked.

"It's the way we usually went walking to school back in junior high," he explained. "Remember that house?" he continued, pointing to a big yellow three-story building to their right.

Lucy instantly brightened up. "Oh yes! That's where we made snow angels with Gray and Erza!" she exclaimed. "That was my favorite winter ever."

"Mine too," Natsu said, tightening his grip on her hand, before gesturing to a small playground. "Remember?"

Lucy instantly blushed. "That's where you asked me to be your girlfriend," she said quietly. "You know, for _real_."

"You're gonna hold that against me for the rest of my life, aren't you," Natsu said with an unamused expression. "Anyway, that really was pretty great of me, wasn't it? I just slid down the slide, looked at you, and bang, popped out the question."

"Wouldn't expect anything else from an immature thirteen-year-old like yourself," Lucy teased.

Natsu looked thoughtful for just a moment.

"Wow…" he whistled. "It's already been over sixteen years since then."

"Can't believe I've put up with you this long," Lucy said.

"That hurts!" Natsu exclaimed, feigning hurt and putting a hand to his heart. "Anyway, I'm glad I plucked up the courage and did it."

"I am too," Lucy smiled.

He then continued to lead her down the road, stopping in front of a large building with a painted sign at the front, reading, 'Magnolia Junior High School' in big kanji.

"Our old junior high school," Natsu said fondly, walking up to the front of the school. "I was so happy to find out we were going to the same junior high, remember?"

"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "I was too. I had already become such good friends with you in primary school, it was great to find out I would be stuck with you for another three years!"

"This entire night has just been one giant blow on my self-esteem," Natsu muttered, turning back to look at her. "Anyway, the night isn't over yet! C'mon!"

He then grabbed her hand again, breaking into a sprint and going down another familiar path.

"Are you taking me to the high school?" Lucy asked curiously.

Natsu nodded feverishly. "Yeah!" he exclaimed, turning down the road and entering through the front gates. Lucy could spot a few students exiting the school, probably from summer activities and such.

"Why are we here?" Lucy asked, politely nodding towards some of the students who were bowing respectfully. "I mean, why would you take me here of all places?" Lucy cringed at all the memories flooding back to her.

Natsu just smiled, pointing over at various things around the front of the school. "That's where we pranked Lisanna! And that's where Juvia kissed Gray! Oh! Remember that? We spied on Erza and Jellal when they were having a moment, haha. Oh, and when Evergreen and Elfman came to our school that one day during third year. Mira was furious, remember? Remember, remember?"

Lucy laughed nervously. "Yes, Natsu, I remember everything."

Natsu grinned, looking at the side of the front door. "That's where Gray, Gajeel and I used to play street hockey. You, Levy, and Juvia always used to cheer me on."

"Actually, we weren't cheering _you_ on, we were cheering-"

"And over there we had our first fight," Natsu said, squinting at one of the windows of the school. Lucy could vaguely remember a science classroom being there.

"Is this just one giant ploy to make me feel bad?" Lucy suddenly asked, stopping right in the middle of the pavement and crossing her arms. "Because if it is, let me be the first to tell you that it is working like magic."

Natsu mentally cringed. "It isn't that," he said quietly. "Besides, you're in for a lot more sadness coming your way for the night. Hopefully it'll be okay in the end, though."

"I'm confused," Lucy said, "but I've also learned not to question it."

"Good idea," Natsu agreed, clasping his hand into hers once again and opening the doors to the school. "Ready for a lil' tour?"

"Sure," Lucy shrugged. "Ready as I can be, at least."

"Okay!" Natsu said, beginning to walk through the corridors. "See? That's where Gajeel and I got busted for the fight we had back in first year. Makarov never let us hear the end of that one."

"He had completely justified reasons for suspending you!" Lucy retorted. "Though if I was principal, I'd do a lot more than just suspending you."

"Again, my self-esteem keeps on dropping," Natsu reminded her, making Lucy punch him in the shoulders.

"Good," Lucy muttered. "I'm still so confused."

"Let's keep going!" Natsu said to answer her. "I have a lot more I wanna show ya'!"

"Right right."

The two started walking towards the corridor of classes they had shared in their second year.

"Our old English class," Natsu said, pointing at various doors. "And the Japanese class we took. The introduction to business class I took that you and the others made fun of me for."

"I didn't!" Lucy protested. "I was happy you had found something you were interested in!"

"And then there was you with all your nerdy creative writing classes," Natsu rolled his eyes. He then laughed, going over to a locker and sticking out his tongue and making a goofy face. "Remember when our sensei came out while Lisanna and I were making this face to prank you?"

"Unfortunately," Lucy said under her breath. "That wasn't the most pleasant memory when Sensei sent us to Makarov's office. And hey! My classes weren't nerdy!"

"Keep believing, Luce," was Natsu's only reply. "Anyway, there's one more place I wanna show you."

"I'm already in this mess, so why not?" Lucy said, shrugging with indifference. Natsu gulped, nodding, and leading her to a very familiar door. The door which led them to the back of the school, a special place the two of them always went to whenever they desired time alone together.

Not to mention, it was also the place where Lucy saw Natsu for the very last time for over ten years.

Natsu was suddenly looking very nervous; something very unlike him.

"Now hear me out before you start screaming at me," he started slowly, opening the door and leading the blonde into the alley. "This is the real reason I brought you here tonight."

Lucy was holding her breath, taking in the scent of the school's brick wall and closing her eyes, trying her hardest not to relive any of the painful memories that were trying to break into her mind.

"This is…" she started in a small voice. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

Natsu gave her a concerned look. "I want you to listen to me."

"And I am," Lucy said, hugging herself for comfort. "I just want to know why you would bring me back to this place."

"I don't wanna spend the rest of my life regretting the mistake I made in high school!" Natsu started. "Ya' know, you weren't the only one who was hurt that day."

"I know that," Lucy tried. "But still, I don't wanna think about that day ever again."

"I don't want you thinking about this place in a bad way anymore," Natsu said, making Lucy look up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we had a lot of _good_ memories in this place too," Natsu explained. "Where we had our first kiss, where I asked you to the dance, where we ditched that same dance to hang out together…"

Lucy's eyes slowly widened.

"Ah, you're right," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I never thought of that."

"And," Natsu continued, trying to get all of his courage together in this one moment. "I don't want you to keep remembering this place only for that one bad memory we had here."

"That's awfully cheesy of you," Lucy said with a small smirk. "Anyway, what are you going to do about it?"

"I…"

"It's okay, though," Lucy smiled. "Because of this, I'm already thinking of it in a new way, you know?"

"Right," Natsu said. He gulped, fumbling with the object in his pocket. "And I kinda wanna do something else. Ya' know, to make this place even more special to us."

"Yeah?" Lucy asked, meeting his eyes once again as she looked expectantly at him.

"Me will Lucy you marry?" Natsu suddenly blurted out.

Lucy blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

' _Great, just great. Now I gotta repeat myself,'_ Natsu thought to himself, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

"I said," he started again, suddenly remembering something very important. He quietly lowered himself down onto his left knee and searched for the perfect opportunity to show her the ring. Lucy, though, seemed to be catching on fairly quickly. "Marry Lucy will me you?"

Lucy opened her mouth ever so slightly, before Natsu hastily went to correct himself.

"I mean, you Lucy me marry will? Agh, I meant, will you me Lucy marry? Gahhh this isn't working, crap," Natsu fumbled around with his words, finally mentally deciding to give up and take out the boxed ring. He avoided her gaze, opening the case and presenting it to her. "Just… take it."

Then, he heard laughter.

Natsu cautiously looked up, watching as Lucy threw her head back and started to chuckle. She laughed, and she laughed, and she laughed, putting her hands on her knees to try to control herself.

"Alright, I'll _just take it_ ," Lucy grinned, taking the ring out from the box and slipping it onto her left hand. "But you know, I think you were supposed to put the ring on _me_."

"Ahh shit!" Natsu said, grabbing her left hand and trying to pull the ring off of it.

"Hey!" Lucy screeched, pulling her hand back and furrowing her eyebrows. "Mine now!"

Natsu pouted. "Oh c'mon Luce."

The blonde stared at him for a full minute, before breaking into another fit of laughter.

"Yes, Natsu," she said in between laughs. "I'll marry you."

Natsu immediately looked relieved. "Oh good!" he said with a cheeky grin. "For a second there, I thought you just wanted the ring."

"Thanks, Natsu," Lucy deadpanned. "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"Only for you, Luce!" His grin broadened.

"Hey, can you kiss me?" Lucy asked suddenly, making Natsu look up at her in surprise. "You know, kissing usually happens after a guy proposes to his girlfriend."

"Oh! Right!" Natsu said, quickly grabbing Lucy by her waist and pulling her against his chest. She laughed once, before she swiftly closed the gap between them.

Needless to say, they didn't go home that night.

* * *

 **Next chapter is the last one! Information on the sequel is also gonna be in the next chapter. ^_^'**


	21. Chapter 21

_Eleven months later…_

A lot had happened over the course of almost a year. Natsu had proposed to Lucy and they had gotten married within a month of the big question. Almost two months later, Lucy was revealed pregnant, and was expecting her second child. A baby boy, who she and Natsu had decided to name Igor.

Levy and Gajeel gave birth to two beautiful girls a few months prior to current day. The twins were fraternal; one looked exactly like Levy, and one looked exactly like Gajeel. The parents had decided to name the Levy-lookalike Gale, and the Gajeel-lookalike Jevy.

Gale and Jevy, though only two-months-old, were complete opposites. While Gale was sweet and did what she was told, Jevy had turned out to be a troublemaker. Gale was already reaching for picture books, while Jevy showed no interest towards anything. Even so, both Levy and Gajeel were very proud of their daughters.

And now, it was Lucy Dragneel's due date.

"You idiotic, stupid, moron Natsu Dragneel!" Lucy screamed, attempting to throw a glass vase at her husband from across the room. Natsu winced, dodging the incoming object and giving his wife a pleading look.

"Luce, please, at least let me live!" he whined, holding up his hands in defense. "What did I ever do to you?!"

"Everything!" Lucy screeched, reaching for a giant dictionary on the couch. "You did everything, you stupid _baka_!"

"Mom, please stop," Nashi Dragneel said, waltzing into the room and grabbing a cookie. "You'll hurt Igor if you move around too much."

"Oh shut up and act your age, Nashi!" Lucy said, crossing her arms and pouting stubbornly. "It's all your father's fault for putting this baby inside me! I don't deserve to be scolded!"

"Actually, baby-making is a two people-"

"Natsu, I highly advise you to shut the hell up right now," Lucy said in a murderous tone, cutting off whatever Natsu was about to say. "You're in the presence of a ten-year-old. Be more careful."

"I'll be eleven next month!" Nashi exclaimed, picking up another cookie and popping it into her mouth. "I'm still more mature than Dad is."

"Honey, go upstairs," Natsu said, rubbing his forehead as he tried to reason with himself. It would be fine. Lucy would go into labor today, and this nightmare would be over. "Jeez, if this is how you are with your second child, I have no idea how it was when you were having Nashi."

"Nashi was different," Lucy said. "She didn't kick me every five seconds like this little boy does. He's going to be exactly like you, Natsu."

"Aww yes!" Natsu cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "I'm so hyped!"

Nashi quickly backed away out of the door, not wanting to hear her mother's next scream of annoyance directed at her father.

"How's it going in there?" Tagg questioned as she entered her bedroom on the second floor of their house. Nashi sighed, sitting on her bed and turning to face everyone in the room. Storm was busy looking through a book on water molecules Nashi was using for a science project, and Sylvia was typing something on her computer. Jay and Lester were also sitting on chairs, talking to each other about something.

"Mom's gone completely insane," was Nashi's only reply. Sylvia looked up from the screen, puckering her lips and then directing her gaze towards her older brother.

"Nii-chan, what was Mother like when Sylvia was born?" she asked. Storm snorted, flipping his book closed and rolling his eyes with disinterest. He stared at his little sister and tried to hold back his laughs.

"She wouldn't stop crying," he said. "Literally! All she did was cry."

"Everyone's pregnancy is different," Lester shrugged. "I wouldn't know, since I'm an only child."

"Do you ever wish you had a sibling?" Nashi questioned with interest.

Lester shrugged. "I guess, sometimes. The house gets a little lonely whenever Mom and Dad are both at work."

"I can imagine," Jay said. "Meanwhile, my house is always crowded with four boys. I don't know how my mom lives."

"She _is_ Erza Scarlet for a reason," Nashi laughed.

"Did you find anything out?" Tagg asked, looking at the pink-haired girl. Nashi sighed, shaking her head.

"Nothing so far," she said. "Mom and Dad refuse to tell me anything, but I know it's bad."

"What's going on?" Lester asked. "I don't know what you guys are talking about."

"You know how _Fairy Tail_ 's renovations finished a few weeks ago?" Nashi asked. The others nodded. "Yeah, well Dad already had the application sent out for opening more restaurants across the world, but I don't think it went very well."

Tagg nodded. "Apparently, Natsu-san's restaurant had an inspection and a financial run-through, but _Fairy Tail_ got a low score."

"Dad thinks it's because the renovations got cut off too early," Nashi said. "I'm not sure what's really going on, though."

"I wish I could help," Lester said, biting his inner lower lip. "But unfortunately, my family doesn't have many sturdy ties with the restaurant industry."

"It's fine," Nashi reassured.

"It'll be okay," Storm piped up, making Nashi look at him with wide eyes. "Seriously, when has Natsu _not_ gotten his way?"

"He's Natsu Dragneel!" Sylvia joined in. "He will be fine, Nashi-chan. Don't worry."

"I sure hope so," Nashi said.

"Relax," Jay said. "I'm sure if anything wrong is happening, you'll be the first to know, right?"

"I guess, but Mom's been so caught up with the baby and everything, I don't really know if what she knows the absolute truth," Nashi explained. "I mean, I don't think Dad would put more stress on her shoulders because of the restaurant."

" _Fairy Tail_ is amazing," Tagg said, patting Nashi's shoulders. "If any restaurant can beat it, I haven't ever come across it."

"Thanks, Tagg," Nashi said gratefully.

Storm scoffed. "Well, _duh_ , of course your dad's place is the best," he said as if it were obvious as day. "Everyone knows that, you dummy. We've been hanging around there since we were really little!"

Nashi secretly hid a smile, but on the outside, her gaze narrowed. "I am not a dummy!"

Storm sarcastically laughed at that.

"Anyway," Jay cut in. "I think we should keep an eye on them."

"Yes, Sylvia agrees with Jay-kun," Sylvia instantly replied, a tint of red coating her cheeks.

"I'm so excited for the baby!" Tagg suddenly said, clapping his hands together. "Igor's gonna be so awesome!"

"I am too!" Nashi said, turning to Tagg with a delighted grin. "I've always wanted a little brother, so this is so cool!"

"What do you think he'll look like?" Tagg asked.

"He should have pink hair, like me!"

"No way! We already have enough pink-heads in the crew," Storm piped up, inviting himself into the conversation. "We don't need another one! Especially a _boy_!"

"Don't be sexist!" Tagg and Nashi said at the same time, glaring at Storm together.

"Yeah! My dad has pink hair, and I happen to think he looks really cool!" Nashi said, crossing her arms and popping out her lower lip. She closed her eyes, thinking about how life would be from now on. Now that she would be getting a little brother, her entire lifestyle would change drastically. "I don't even know what I'm going to do now."

Everyone looked up.

"What does Nashi-chan mean?" Sylvia asked, concern dripping in her voice. Nashi sighed, changing her position so that she was lying on her stomach with her head in her hands.

"I've heard terrible stories from the girls at school about how after they got their little sibling, their parents completely ignored them! It was like they were replaced."

"Oh…" Tagg said, fumbling around with his fingers.

"That's horrible," Jay whispered. "It happened a little bit… but I got used to it after Eugene was born."

"Stop that. It isn't gonna happen."

Nashi turned her head around to see the owner of the last voice. Her eyes met squarely with Storm's.

"What?" she asked softly.

"When Sylvia was born, nothing like that happened," Storm started again, putting on an apathetic smile. "It isn't like I cared or anything if it did happen, Mom was getting really annoying with all the crying."

"Nii-chan, don't be rude," Sylvia whispered.

"It's true though," Storm said with a shrug. "Sylv, you don't even know how bad it got."

"That's true, but at least I don't make fun of my own mother about it!" Sylvia said, crossing her arms.

Even though she usually spoke in third-person, she sometimes switched over to prove her point. She mostly used her first-person speech to talk to her brother, though. Nashi could never understand how Storm could be so rude to his own sister.

"If something like that happens, then my visit here would be a complete waste!" Tagg said strongly. He and his father, Lyon, had come over for a few weeks for Lucy's due date. Lyon wanted to be there for when his friend gave birth to her son, and decided to bring Tagg along to pay Nashi a visit. The train ride from Acalypha to Magnolia was a long one, but Lyon himself stated that it was definitely worth the wait.

"Nah, it's cool having you around," Jay said, giving Tagg a light fist bump and directing his gaze back towards Nashi. "Relax, it'll be fine. I've been through it three times. It's really nothing major."

"You're going to be fine Nashi," Lester said with an encouraging smile. "Igor is going to be an amazing younger brother!"

"Thanks, guys," Nashi said, her spirits officially lifted. "Though I do wanna-"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from downstairs. Everyone in the room froze, their ears attentive for any further noises.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU STUPID LITTLE… JUST GET ME TO THE DAMN HOSPITAL, NATSU!"

A light dawned on Nashi. Her eyes widened and her facial features turned into one of shock.

"I think that means Igor's coming!"

…

Nashi quietly observed her father's weird behavior. Natsu was currently pacing around the hospital corridor, his hands in his pockets and his face molded into a permanent frown. His legs were walking fast, up and down the hallway as he kept mumbling something to himself.

"Dad, are you okay?" Nashi asked, obviously concerned. "What's going on in there? Why was Mom taken into that room?"

Natsu didn't answer. He looked towards the other men in the room with a desperate expression.

"Does it usually take this long?! Why can't I be in there with her?!" he whined, proceeding to rap his hands on the door to Lucy's ward. "How much more time till they allow me inside?!"

"Shouldn't be too long now," Erza observed. "They should be almost finished with her check-up."

"The most painful part is coming," Evergreen snickered. "But don't you worry, Natsu. Lucy's going to do great."

"Urghhh," Natsu groaned, trying to calm himself down but failing greatly. "I wanna go in there."

"Be patient, Natsu," Romeo said. The younger man was currently rubbing his fiancé's shoulders, trying to comfort the poor girl who was looking scared out of her life. "It's okay, Wen… she's gonna be okay."

"You're damn right she's gonna be okay," Gajeel muttered, lightly bouncing Gale in his arms. "Bunny Girl's a strong one. If Shrimp could make it through twice in the span of ten minutes, she can definitely do it."

"Gajeel!" Levy scolded, lightly pushing her husband away. "Don't say something like that! Look at Natsu! He's _suffering_!"

Gajeel snorted. "Not my problem."

"Oh please, we all know how _you_ were when Levy went into labor," Jellal said, rolling his eyes as the others started to laugh.

"Shut up!" Gajeel retorted.

Natsu was shaking by now. He had never been more scared in his life. Not when Igneel disappeared, not when he was interviewed for the opening of his restaurant, not when he reunited with Lucy, not even when he proposed to her.

"Are you alright, Natsu?" Juvia asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Lucy'll get through this. You'll be allowed in any minute now," Gray said, putting his hands in his pocket.

Just then, the doors to the operation room opened. The nurse stepped out, directing her gaze at Natsu.

"We will begin the procedure now. Would you like to be there with your wife?"

Natsu quickly shot out of his seat, not bothering to answer her as he quickly ran into the room.

The others smirked.

"Well, he's definitely found himself," Laxus grinned.

"I'm so happy for the two of them!" Mira gushed. "I can't wait to meet Igor!"

"You seem more excited than Lucy and Natsu," Gray chuckled. "Though, I'm looking forward to it too."

"Aaaand their rivalry had officially come to an end!" Loke said, cupping his hands over his mouth to make his voice louder.

Lyon then walked into view, looking between everyone and holding out the food he had gotten from the hospital's cafeteria.

"Cinnamon roll, anyone?" he offered.

…

Natsu cradled the baby in his arms, making silly faces and coping at his brand new son's adorable features. He looked back towards the sleeping figure of his wife, smiling as he observed the way she peacefully laid on the bed.

He turned back to the boy in his hold. He looked exactly like him, it was almost too perfect. The only thing he had gotten from his mother was his hair color, and his eyes. He had the most beautiful brown orbs that glistened in the light of the hospital room.

Lucy stirred, making Natsu look back at her. She opened her eyes, grinning tiredly once she saw her son in the hands of her husband. Natsu leaned down, prompting her to see the face of her son for the very first time.

"You did awesome, Luce!" he said in a voice just above a whisper. Lucy held out her arms, wanting to hold the blonde boy. Natsu complied, gently releasing the baby into her hold.

Lucy smiled softly, rocking her baby in her arms. Tears began forming around the crusts of her eyes. She sniffled a bit, before looking up at Natsu.

"He looks just like you," she said quietly, moving a strand of his blonde hair out of his face. "My eyes, though…"

"It's just like how Nashi looks like you, but has my hair color. Now Igor looks like me, but has your hair."

"Remember what I told you," Lucy warned. "If you ever even _think_ of dropping my baby, you won't see tomorrow, Mister Dragneel."

"Alright, _Misses Dragneel_ ," Natsu said with a teasing smirk, leaning over the bed to see his son in his wife's arms.

"I want Nashi to be in here," Lucy murmured. "Can you bring her? Please?"

Natsu nodded once, going over to the doorway and opening it, meeting the gaze of all of his friends. His eyes sought his daughter, watching as she looked at him curiously.

"Is Igor here?" she questioned. Natsu walked up to her, taking her hand in his and walking back inside the ward room. Nashi followed her father, not saying a word as her mother came into view.

Nashi slowly approached her, her eyes widening as she saw the small baby in her mom's arms.

"Nashi, meet your new little brother," Lucy introduced, holding out Igor. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Yes," Nashi breathed out, gently taking the baby into her arms and being supported by her father. "He's so cute!"

Natsu and Lucy both laughed.

"He is, isn't he," Lucy grinned. "He's gonna be a good little boy when he's older." She glanced at Natsu. "Then again, probably not."

"Oi!"

Nashi stared back down at the little boy. Natsu came up behind her, placing his hands on hers and looking down at her.

"Dad?" she asked, looking up.

"Yeah?"

"Igor's gonna grow up with his mommy _and_ daddy, right?"

Natsu's eyes widened. He looked over at Lucy, whose mouth was open in surprise.

"What do you mean, Nashi?" Lucy asked.

"I mean, I didn't grow up with both my mommy and daddy, I was just wondering if it would be the same for Igor," Nashi said innocently.

Natsu gulped, stepping forwards so he was directly behind the young girl. He then reached out and clasped her so they were in a back-hug.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled into her neck, hearing Nashi's audible gasp. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you were a baby too."

Lucy bit her lip. "Nashi, Daddy is going to be there for Igor, but that does not mean that he does not love you any less," she said, smiling down at her daughter. "Your father already feels really bad that he wasn't there when you were born, but he doesn't want you to feel any kind of jealousy towards your younger brother, okay?"

"Jealousy?" Nashi asked.

"Yeah, don't be jealous of your brother just because he grew up with a father and you didn't," Lucy clarified, balling her hands into fists. "You should never feel bad for something you can't help."

"You should never feel bad for something you can't help," Nashi repeated under her breath, making a mental note to never forget those words. "I won't, Mom."

"Good girl," Lucy said with a smile, nodding towards Natsu. Natsu let go of his hold on Nashi, and went over to Lucy. The two held out their hands towards Nashi, inviting her in for a warm family hug. Nashi smiled, happily carrying Igor into the embrace and letting herself sink into her parent's warmth.

"I love you, Mommy. I love you, Daddy," Nashi whispered, momentarily letting herself call them by her childhood nickname for them.

"We love you too, Nash," Natsu whispered. "We always will."

* * *

 **Aaand that's a wrap!**

 **Now, before I get into this author's note, I'd first like to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me for so long! Honestly, I** _ **never**_ **expected so many people to like my story, and now that it's come to an end, I'm both sad and excited for my upcoming projects!**

 **Speaking of which… I'll now proceed to reveal the highly anticipated plotline for the sequel!**

 **It will be called '** _World Class_ ' **.**

It's eight years later, and _Fairy Tail_ is in trouble. Natsu has gone into bankruptcy from his numerous attempts at establishing his restaurant as a worldwide business, which makes life hard on him and his family. While Natsu starts breaking down, Lucy continuously works overtime to try and keep up the income.

One night, when Natsu and Lucy are discussing their troubles, eighteen-year-old Nashi overhears them, and tells her friends about her troubles. Nashi, Tagg, Storm, Sylvia, Jay, and Lester set out to America to make sure _Fairy Tail_ doesn't close down.

 **I'm really really really excited to start writing the story! I think the plotline is interesting enough, and the fact that it will mostly follow the second generation is going to be challenging, but I'm definitely going to do my best!**

 **In this chapter, I started to foreshadow events of the sequel, which I'm sure you already noticed. I also officially introduced the main crew for the sequel- Nashi, Tagg, Storm, Sylvia, Jay, and Lester.**

 **Remember, it is still a NaLu story! Don't worry, because the main Fairy Tail cast are still going to be main characters, but there will also be a good chunk of the main plotline, which follows the children's troubles.**

 **There's going to be a fair amount of romantic drama, of course. The Tagg x Nashi x Storm love triangle will still live on for a while, but it** _ **will**_ **come to definite conclusion soon. I've also been foreshadowing a bit of the other children's future pairings. Internet cookies for anyone who can figure them out!**

 **I'm. So. Hyped!**

 ** _THE SEQUEL WILL BE POSTED ON TUESDAY, MARCH 7TH (Tomorrow). So definitely stay on the lookout!_**

 **Thank you so much again, everyone! I love you all, and your amazing reviews that help me motivate myself to write! I'm really looking forward to seeing you guys in the sequel! Y'all are the best!**

 **-FlaminkoMage :)**


	22. Extra Chapter

**Just a little bonus/extra chapter for this story while I write World Class. It's a small scene from the time when Lucy and Nashi lived in Acalypha.**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

Seven-year-old Nashi gulped. Today was the day when she would finally be graduating second grade at her elementary school, and she was very nervous.

Every student had to go up to the podium and say a speech in front of everyone on how school was that year, and who helped them get through it. Be it friends, family, parents, a pet, anyone really. But Nashi only had one person she wanted to thank in particular.

"Ready for this, Knucklehead?" a voice said from behind her. Nashi turned to see Tagg Vastia, the principal's adoptive son and her enemy standing in a dark navy suit which complemented his shocking green hair perfectly. Nashi scoffed, crossing her arms and sighing deeply upon looking at him.

"Great, I had to see _you_ before my speech. Wonder how it's gonna go now," she said in her most disappointing tone of voice. Tagg furrowed his eyebrows.

"The dress is nice," he said suddenly, pointing to what she was wearing.

Nashi blinked. She looked down at her attire. She was wearing a long light green dress that her mother had bought for her last week. It was pleated at the waist and hung loosely around her shoulders. The skirt was flowy and fell in a bit of a wave. Nashi loved the dress, but she wasn't expecting Tagg to say something like that.

"What?" she asked.

Tagg smirked. "Just the dress, though. You, on the other hand… well, that's another story."

Nashi groaned. She should have known better. "Whatever, Tagg. I was going to complement how your suit matches with your hair, but that would be an insult to the suit."

"You little-"

"Everyone!" their teacher called, clapping her hands above her head to get all the student's attentions. "It's almost time! Run through your speeches a few more times if you need to!"

Tagg looked back towards Nashi. "Who are you dedicating yours to?" he asked.

"My mother," Nashi replied. "You?"

"Dad," Tagg grinned. "We all know whose speech is going to be better between the two of us."

"Oh really? Who's that?"

"Me, obviously," Tagg said simply.

Nashi raised an eyebrow. "Really now. I highly doubt that."

Tagg tilted his head to the side. "What does 'doubt' mean?"

Nashi couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Nevermind. I had no doubt that you didn't know what that word meant."

"Oi!" Tagg said, crossing his arms. "That isn't funny, Heartfilia!"

"Yes it is, Vastia."

"Why you-"

"Vastia Tagg, it's your turn," the teacher said, coming up to the two of them and effectively ending their argument. Tagg nodded once, holding his nose high before going onto the stage.

Nashi watched from her place backstage as his eyes widened a considerable amount upon seeing how many people there were in the audience. She watched as he seemed to take a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"My name is Vastia Tagg," Tagg started off strongly. "Second grade's been really fun and I'm happy to go into third grade next year. I made lots of friends that I like, and I made one friend that I like to tease."

Nashi didn't look too amused.

Tagg continued, "But most importantly, I'd like to thank my father, Principal Vastia, Vastia-sensei, for being an awesome dad that I've always looked up to a lot. Even though he's not my real father, I still really love him and I'm thankful that he took me in when I was just a baby."

Nashi could clearly see the teary eyes of the audience members, even from where she was standing.

"Dad, you helped me with my homework, taught me things about the school, and people always come to me saying how great of a principal you are. Thank you, Dad."

Tagg bowed low, and Nashi could see Lyon in the corner of the stage, clapping wildly and giving his son a big thumbs-up. She smiled at the sight of them, happy for her enemy no matter how much she said she didn't like him.

The teacher tapped her on her back. "Your turn, Heartfilia Nashi," she said quietly.

Nashi nodded, taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself as she watched Tagg exit the stage and go meet his father.

She gulped, testing the stage and cautiously stepping out onto it. She walked slowly to the middle, finally looking out into the audience and spotting her mother a few rows behind the front. Lucy was smiling up at her, her beautiful teeth showing as Nashi smiled back.

Then, she began to talk. "Uh… hi. My name's Heartfilia Nashi," she started softly, the strength of her voice surprising even her. She looked right to see Tagg smirking at her lousy beginning, and somehow, this filled her with confidence. "Second grade's been nice. I've made lots of cool friends, and also one person who I enjoy making fun of." She looked at Tagg, who was looking at her with a flabbergasted expression. "But… the person who's really helped me throughout this year is my mom."

Nashi looked up, her eyes connecting with Lucy's as she watched her mother's jaw drop in awe.

"My mother is a really brave woman," Nashi began again, biting her lip out of the nervousness she was feeling. "She risked everything for me. I'm so proud of her." Lucy scrunched up her eyebrows as Nashi continued to talk. "My father was never worthy of her. My father didn't deserve someone as amazing as my mom after what he did to her. My father will _never_ realize what an amazing girl he lost, because that's what my mother is. In one word, she's amazing."

Nashi sniffed, fiddling with the microphone in her hand. "She came here to Acalypha, her hometown, when she was going to have me. She could have stayed in her old town with all her friends and continue going to school but she _risked it for me_. She knew I wouldn't have the best childhood if I stayed around someone like my father and she knew it. Mom, you saved me. Even if it meant you had to lose yourself.

"I still remember how it was when I was just a baby. You used to rock me in my crib, crying softly while singing me to sleep. I always knew about the pain you were in, but I could never say anything. As I grew older, you stopped crying in front of me, but I still heard it. Boy, I still heard it. Every single night you would cry to yourself, not telling me anything because I was too young to understand. You thought it would hurt me even more if you did tell me, and I admire you so much for doing that.

"Mom, you're such an amazing, brilliant, incredible person. You did what you had to do to make sure I got a life you never had. You made sure my life was nothing like yours, even though I'm sure you had amazing times with your old friends too.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. It was because of me that you had to leave your friends and family behind in your old town. It was because of me that you had to stop going to high school. It was because of me that you had to break off all your relationships with people you used to know. It was because of me that your life became a giant mess. I'm so sorry, Mom. I know I'm not in any place to tell you this, but because of all that you did for me, I've spent these years of my childhood like this.

"I studied really hard for this speech, Mom. I learnt giant words and practiced it so many times to make sure it came out perfectly when I said it in front of the entire school. Mom… I love you. I l-love you s-so much… I… I love yo- you… y-you…"

Nashi stopped, cupping her hands and bringing them to her face as her tears threatened to escape her eyes. She gripped the microphone tightly as her tears finally welled up enough to burst free.

"Nashi…"

Nashi's head snapped up to meet the gaze of her mother, who was now at the foot of the stage and looking up at her with a teary expression.

"Mommy…?" she said softly, not believing her eyes as Lucy began to walk up the flight of stairs and onto the stage. Her skirt swished to the floor and her loose curls fell freely behind her back.

"Nashi, you don't have to feel like this," Lucy said in her usual soft voice. Nashi looked up at her with big eyes. She felt her breath hitch as Lucy stood right in front of her. "None of this is your fault, Nashi. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, my little girl. I don't even know what my life would be like if it weren't for you."

The two of them were completely unaware of the hundreds of eyes staring at them as they exchanged these words with each other.

Lucy kept going, "Sweetie, I think I should be thanking _you_ for everything you've done for me. You've kept up with me, and you've been the most amazing daughter any mother could ask for. Yes, I miss my friends. Yes, I love my friends. But above all of that, I love _you_ , my little Nashi. I loved your father very much, Nashi. So please… find it in your heart to think of him for me, will you?"

Nashi lifted the ends of her mouth into a small smile. Although tears were blinding her vision, she was still able to nod slightly.

"Okay, Mommy."

It was then when they heard the applause.

Both Nashi and Lucy looked up into the audience, watching as every single person slowly rose from their seat, wiping their tears away and clapping madly.

Nashi looked to the end of the stage, where she saw Lyon smiling and clapping and Tagg clapping and looking away with a small pout on his face.

She laughed a teary laugh, leaning up to clutch her hands around her mother's neck and pull her in for a bone-crushing hug. Lucy gripped her daughter in her arms, burying her face into her neck and crying freely as they drowned in the sounds of the audience's ear-throbbing applause.


End file.
